Sleepless
by simplexaim
Summary: Kairi is left on the islands confused and lost with Tidus as her only real source of comfort. She encounters uncertain people and events as she waits for her childhood friend to come back home. Rated T just in case. KairixTidus KairixSora
1. Chapter 1 The Shock

Please note that I'm not so familiar with what happened during Chain of Memories, because I never played the game. So if anything seems out of place, just go with it, please?

This chapter will take place right after the Kingdom Hearts ending.

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**Sleepless** Chapter One **  
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She rowed her way towards home in a slightly delayed shock.

_He is…gone. Where? Where has he…gone?_

She stopped rowing and let the gentle water take her where it wanted. She knew she shouldn't stop, but she needed to think before she got home. Her family was probably worried sick about her. Would they remember? Or would everything that happened be like a dream. She prayed it was only a dream, that everything she encountered was just a dream. That the plan of the raft was thrown out and they never took it seriously. Yes, that's it; she just went to the island with _them _like any other day.

But _they_ were gone. Both of them.

She loosened her grip on the paddles, lost in clouded thoughts as tears started to form in her blue eyes.

"Sora...Riku." She could barely hear herself as she spoke their names. "Why did you-"

She heard a splash on to her right, so she turned her head weakly in that direction. Her right paddle was gone. She quickly wiped the tears out of her eyes and threw her only paddle near her shoes that were lain in the back. She craned her head out of the boat to see her paddle sink quickly. She mentally cursed at herself and without much thought, jumped into the cold water to retrieve it.

It took her a moment to grasp what she had just done, but she told herself to stay calm. She started to swim after her sinking paddle, trying her best to catch up to it. It was sinking too deep into the darkness, but she continued to go after it. She swam straight into the unknown, where she was left blind and disoriented. That's when she finally stopped.

_**Gimme a break, Kairi.**_

Kairi's eyes widened and she looked around the darkness, to only find nothing.

_Sora...Where-_

_**What, are you kidding?**_

_Riku..._

Air bubbles floated out of her mouth, she was starting to struggle on her breathing.

_Where are you? Please, tell me!_

She felt desperate for their voices to tell her something, anything. She couldn't take it any longer. She'd run out of air if she didn't start swimming to the surface now. But she stayed.

_Please..._

_**I'm always with you.**_

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How was it? I hope you liked it! I have no idea where this will be going, so I'll just let the pieces fall where they will. Review? Thanks so much! 3


	2. Chapter 2 Thanks for Saving Me

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**Sleepless** Chapter 2

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Kairi felt something hit her chest again and again and air fly into her lungs. Her eyes shot open as she coughed up the leftover sea water that was in her mouth. Groaning, she blinked multiple times to get her vision less blurry. She realized she was lying on the sand at the island.

"You alright, Kairi?" The voice showed concern.

She turned her head to her left to see a sunny smile and blonde hair.

"Hey, Tidus." She managed to mumble through her finally-breathing throat.

"What happened to you? Did you fall off your boat again?" He teased. Tidus stood up and wiped the sand off his shorts and offered Kairi a hand.

She took it with a smile and nodded shyly, "Kind of. But I can't remember exactly what happened after that." She explained.

_**I'm always with you.**_

She stiffened suddenly and she could tell Tidus felt it too. But he only gave her a concerned look and she quickly shook her head as a reply. They let go of each other's hands and smiled at each other for a second before he turned his back on her.

"I'm glad I came just in time." He said as he walked onto the small dock. He flashed her a smile then kneeled down to get his boat ready, "We'll get your boat when we pass it. You were going back home, right?"

"Um..Yeah!" She quickly responded. She ran towards him and tapped his shoulder once she got near enough.

"Yeah?" He questioned. He stood up and looked at her then.

"Thank you, for saving me." Kairi said gently and gave a caring smile.

"Um," he mumbled, starting to blush lightly, "It's no problem. C'mon, I'll get you back home." He said with a nod as he scratched the back of his head.

She was oblivious to his nervousness and stepped into his boat, making room for him as she sat down. He grabbed the paddles off the dock and sat down facing her. He began to row the boat towards hers that was still a bit away.

As he rowed, she looked out into the water to drift into her thoughts. How could she do something so stupid? She wanted to scream at herself. She could have…died. Her eyes turned watery again and she sighed in disappointment at herself. She looked at her linked fingers that were set her lap and unlinked them. She tried to wipe her eyes without Tidus knowing, but she was sure he already knew.

"Kairi…it's alright, you know. Things like this happen all the time." He tried to reassure with a caring tone. She appreciated he was trying to cheer her up, but she figured he could never understand what she was feeling. "So…" He started. She could feel him searching for her eyes, so she decided to make his search easier and look up at him. "This will be a cool story to tell Riku and Sora, hm?"


	3. Chapter 3 A Dream

I just noticed my chapters are pretty short. I'm so sorry. So start getting use to longer ones!

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**Sleepless** Chapter 3

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"What did you just say?" Her eyes showed hurt and anger towards the boy that just saved her life.

"Whoa, Kairi. Chill, I didn't know it'd be that embarrassing for you. I mean, Selphie falls out of her boat all the time." He says defensively.

"What? I'm not talking about me drowning, Tidus." She felt the anger rise in her; she felt the venom that came out of her mouth. "I'm talking about _them_. Don't you know that they're-" She choked on the word _gone_. How could she say that? It would have been like throwing lemon juice on a fresh cut. It would break her to pieces.

He stopped rowing. "Where's…." He was about to say their names but remembered she'd probably get more upset. "Where are…they, Kairi?"

She looked into his eyes helplessly and shook her head as she whispered, "I don't know."

"Weren't they with-"

"I really don't know, Tidus. I'm sorry." She looked down at her hands and tried to control her breathing.

Tidus thought aloud to himself, but stayed quiet while doing so, "They just ran off? To where? And why with only…" No, he didn't want to ask those questions…not in front of Kairi.

Hesitantly, he put his hand to hers and tried to soothe her, "They'll come back. They're not the type to just forget about their friends, Kairi. You know that, don't you?" Tidus said trying to sound as reassuring as possible. He hated seeing her like this, Kairi is his childhood friend too. He gripped her hands a little tighter and she picked her head up in response. She smiled cautiously once the words finally sunk in. He was right, he had to be right. Those words and Sora's promise would be the things that kept her hopeful, ones that will keep her waiting.

"Thank you, Tidus." She chuckled at herself for a second, "I'm sorry, you had to see me like that."

He grinned and took his hand back, "Just don't get sad again for me, ok?" He asked and continued to row again.

"I'll try!" She said cheerfully. She remembered it felt good to be this way; cheerful. "Hey, Tidus…how long have I been gone?" She questioned with a smile still on her face, once he answered that more than one question will be answered.

"How long were you under water for, Kairi?" He chuckled to himself, but then noticed she seriously wanted to know. "Wow, you must have fell unconscious. Are you ok?" Tidus asked, getting quickly concerned again.

"Yeah, I'm perfectly fine!" She reassured and nodded with a smile.

He could tell she was still waiting for an answer. "Well, we were told you weren't in bed this morning. So we kind of figured you were back at the island." Tidus answered with a nod.

_So…it's like everything that happened never __**did**__ happen. But it happened to me. I know what happened to them. Why is this happening? Why am I the only one who knows? It's like a dream with the unexplained consequences._

He turned behind him to see that Kairi's boat was only a few feet away. With one more stroke of the paddles, he was close enough to grab it. He placed his paddles in the center of the boat and pulled Kairi's close. "Where's your other paddle?" He asked looking into the boat, then at Kairi. She broke away from her daze and looked at him with a smile.

She chuckled lightly and scratched the back of her head, "That's kind of why I jumped out. It sunk before I could get it." She nodded with an embarrass blush on her cheeks.

"Tell me you're joking." He sighed a laugh and shook his head. "Here, I'll tie your boat to mine and we'll try rowing it there. If that doesn't work…you could always catch a ride with me for the rest of our lives."

"Did you just propose to me with that?" Kairi pouted in a playful manner and tilted her head to the side.

He waved his hands in the air, "What? No! It was a joke…we'll get it home." he quickly replied. He heard Kairi chuckling as he looked at the center of the boat. Tidus took the rope in the center and tied it to bench in Kairi's boat. "Kairi…can you help me? I don't want to move around in the boat or we'll both be under water."

"Sure! What do you need help with?"

"Push your boat behind ours, I'll hold the rope."

Kairi nodded in reply and began moving her boat behind her. "Ok, is that fine?" She turned towards Tidus again to see if she did it right.

"Yup." He said while he tied the other end of the rope to the bench she sat on. "Alright, let's go home." He picked up the paddles and started to row again.

When they reached the main island, they quickly informed Kairi was fine. No one was very worried because she's gone to the island without telling anyone before today. But when everyone asked about _them_, they got worried after she told them that they were _gone_. There it was, she just smashed lemon juice onto her cuts, and she was starting to break. Their parents were frantic about where they could have gone and begged for more information out of her. She tried to assure that they'd come back, but she couldn't because the tears welled up in her eyes again and no one would believe her like this.

"Sora is…no! Why would he do something so stupid?"

"Riku would never do that!"

"They're not dead." She whimpered, "They just left. They promised that they would come back!" She yelled, it was more like her yelling was directed to her and not the parents.

"Kairi…" She heard Tidus whisper from behind her.

"No…" She looked down to the ground and then up again. She started running as fast as she could away from the group. Kairi knew she was the only one that even has the vaguest idea of where Sora and Riku were…but who would really believe her? They'd lock her up somewhere. "I'm sorry." She kept whispering through breaths. She finally reached her home, her parents, and her room. She flopped on the bed and dug her face into her pillow.

"Kairi…" It was her mother. Kairi felt her mom sit near her on the bed.

"Mom…I-"

"They really just ran away?"

"Yes. But they had to go."

"Go where?" Her mother placed her hand on Kairi's back and tried to soothe her.

"I don't know, mom. To a different world or something." She mumbled the last part. But to her surprise her mom tensed. "Mom…" She turned her head to finally face her.

"You're serious…about them going to another world?" Her mother questioned, but her face showed understanding and not disbelief.

Kairi sat up and nodded, "You believe me?"

Her mother looked away and started to gaze around Kairi's room, towards a painting. Kairi followed her mother's eyes and gasped once she saw it. It showed a beautiful landscape with an amazing castle in the center.

"Hollow Bastion." The words escaped Kairi's lips. She remembered it from when she was with Sora.

"You know? It was originally called Radiant Garden." Her mother stated and stood up. "You need some sleep, sweetie. In the morning we'll talk more." After that was spoken her mother was out of the room and Kairi's door was closed.

Someone actually believed her? But of course, her mom would...she wasn't born on Destiny Islands either.

Kairi got up and decided to take a shower first since she still smelt like salt water. After she was done she turned on the television and crawled under her blankets to try and get comfortable.

Nothing seemed to be on so she flipped to the news and noticed there would be storms tonight. She sighed and turned it off.

_A storm…like before all this happened._

_No, don't think about that. Let it go. They'll come back, like Tidus said. Tidus…I'm sorry._

She stared at the ceiling through the darkness, wondering what she could do to make it up to him and how she'd get through this mess. She had to talk to him tomorrow, to apologize for running off like that. But…no answer came to her last thought. She didn't know what she could do.


	4. Chapter 4 The Storm and the Figure

**Sleepless** Chapter 4

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Midnight. The clock ticked and echoed, making it sound louder than it actually was. Or maybe Kairi just got use to the quietness of her surroundings that even a footstep will sound like a loud knock on her door. She was still staring at her white ceiling, waiting for sleep to take her. But she didn't feel sleepy at all. Her eyes wandered to the painting of her birthplace.

_**No. You won't use me for this! You've got to run! The Heartless are coming!**_

Riku's voice was so clear like he was saying it now…like he was with her now. Kairi sat up and got out of bed. "Riku…" She mumbled while her feet carried her to the large painting of the castle. She glided her fingers over it gently, barely touching it. Her lips parted to talk to him; she prayed he could hear her, "I'm sorry. You've been through a lot trying to get my heart back, haven't you, Riku?" She closed her eyes lightly and pictured her with Riku at the island they played at. "Can you hear me?" She whispered as she opened her eyes again.

_**We'll all be together again soon. Don't worry. Just leave everything to me.**_

The words were another saying from the past, another audio tape in her mind. She removed her hand from the painting and shook her head. "You're just…in my memories now?" Kairi said, letting the words hang through the air as they sunk in. That wasn't right to say, she needed his voice. "No. I'm sorry. This'll be enough." She quickly took a step back as she answered her own question. But she bumped into something.

_**Kairi…**_

It was Sora's voice now. Her heartbeat quickened in a second in response. Then, she felt his arms around her. But she didn't dare turn around to look, she was sure if she did he'd vanish.

_**Remember what you said before?**_

She heard static after he asked his question.

_**What's gotten into you? You're the one that's-**_

More static.

Her mind was mixing the words together to make it seem like he's here with her. But she didn't care right now. She just needs to hear him. "You're coming back with Riku, right, Sora?" His transparent arms were still wrapped around her.

_**Promise.**_

Thunder roared in the sky, startling Kairi and also making the embrace disappear. She finally turned around, there was nothing there. She sighed sadly at herself and started to walk to her bed again, but stopped her second step. There was something on the ground. Kairi knelt down and picked the object up. She couldn't see it, her room was too dark. But she could tell that it was hard and smooth. She stood up and crawled into bed with it. A flash of lightning brightened her room for a second and she saw what it was: a thalassa shell.

"In the old days, sailors always wore thalassa shells. They were supposed to ensure a safe  
voyage." She quoted herself from that day.

"What is it doing here?" She whispered. Kairi didn't want to conclude anything this time. She just decided she was crazy enough for feeling Sora's arms when he clearly wasn't there.

She looked to her right and saw her bedside desk. Kairi carefully placed the shell on the surface as the light from the storm filled her room again. At the corner of her eye she saw someone. She turned that direction quickly, seeing a dark figure that had no memorable features. The lightning flashed again and it was gone. Her eyes widened immensely and she was surprised they didn't come out of her skull. She covered her head with her blanket and started thinking of what to do.

_What can I use to hit him?_ She didn't have anything on her. After a minute, she poked her head out of the covers and looked around to see if he was still in her room. _Where could he have gone?_ She didn't see anything. Kairi threw the blankets over her, ran behind her door and grabbed the bat her parents gave to her for her tenth birthday.

"Alright…where are you?" She threatened her bat raised and ready.

No reply.

"I already saw you! You might as well come out!"

Again, no reply.

She put her hand to her door knob softly and turned it. Kairi threw the door open and was about to run until she saw the figure appear again. It was walking to her.

_Move, Kairi. Move! Please! No! Hit him, now! What are you, stupid?!_

"W-who are you?"

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How do you like my attempt at a cliffy? -hugs- Review, please?


	5. Chapter 5 His Name

Blame the insane amount of new chapters on May! haha, no. Just kidding, May. Thanks for using the rope. Enjoy Chapter 5!

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**Sleepless** Chapter 5

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"W-who are you?" Kairi mumbled to the approaching figure. She guessed the figure was a boy older than her. _Wait, why the hell does it matter?_ Kairi mentally scolded herself. But she continued to gather information on his appearance the best she could. He wore dark clothes and the top half of his face was covered with his black hood.

He stopped about seven feet away from her and smiled. He offered his hand, which was covered in a black glove, to her silently.

"No! Who are you? Tell me now!" She yelled. Her knees were starting to shake and she tightened her grip on the bat.

He gave a dark chuckle and continued his walk towards her.

"Don't make me hurt you now." Kairi said, wanting to give this guy one last chance to leave. He didn't stop. So she swung the bat as hard as she could, aiming for the guy. But he disappeared into dark smoke before she even touched him. "Where…." Kairi looked around, doing a complete 360 degree search. When she returned to her previous position he stood in front of her. She jumped and in the process dropped the bat. It rolled at his feet.

"Kairi…right." He said with a smile on his lips. The storm added on to his mysterious aura and it also made Kairi more jumpy.

"How do you know my name?" She questioned gently, her tough act was gone now that she didn't have the bat.

He came closer to Kairi, making her back up until she hit the wall.

_What is this? I should be running as far away as I can but…_

As she stared at the intruder, everything around him grew dark and featureless. She couldn't hear the thunder anymore or see any lightning. It was just him and her but then, he began to fade into the darkness too while she slid to the ground and collapsed.

It was bright even with her eyes closed. She opened them reluctantly and was slapped with white lights blaring at her. No…there were no lights in the room. It was just strikingly white. It took her about a minute to get use to the brightness. She was standing in a white room with no doors or windows that she could see.

"Hey!" She shouted, her voice echoed about five times. She turned around and around but there was nothing. Kairi then slumped to the floor and tried to get her thoughts straight.

_Where's that guy? Did he put me here? And…more importantly, where am I?_

"Kairi…" It was a girl's voice.

Kairi picked her head up and looked up at the ceiling, where the voice came from. She quickly stood up and her eyes widened, "I'm dead?" She asked in disbelief. "How'd I-"

"No. You're not dead, Kairi. You're just…resting for now." The voice came from the plain white sky again.

"Why am I resting? And where?" Kairi asked gently. The voice seemed nice enough; if she was nice to the voice then she'll receive the same treatment…right?

"You couldn't sleep, remember? Like your mom said, you need your rest."

"Wait! But…how'd I get here?" Kairi asked, directing the voice to the ceiling. For some reason, she felt silly talking like this.

"He brought you here." The voice came from behind Kairi this time. The red-head quickly turned to see a blonde girl with her back facing her. "But only for a little while longer…You're suppose to wake up soon." The blonde girl continued, smoothing out her white dress.

"Who is he?" Kairi questioned while she started walking to the girl.

"Don't." She warned.

Kairi stopped her walking. "Oh, I'm…sorry." She replied carefully, not wanting to get in trouble.

The blonde shook her head, "Its fine. But, I can't tell you his name. I'm not allowed. Sorry." On the last word the blonde turned her head towards Kairi and gave a light smile.

Kairi gasped, _the girl looked_…

Darkness clouded her vision before she could study the blonde's features more. She started to fall down, but strangely, she didn't feel the impact because she already fell.

Kairi awoke on the floor of her bedroom as the light from the sun entered through her window. She was staring straight at the bat on the ground. She jolted up, hitting her head on the wall while doing so. "Oww…"She whimpered as she rubbed the back of her head. Kairi grabbed the bat and placed it near her bed this time.

_A dream…Or more like part of one?_

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Hehe, review if you can? Thank you! 8D


	6. Chapter 6 Mind My Confession?

**Sleepless** Chapter 6

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_How much of last night was real? Was it all in my head?_

She sat on her bed and rubbed the sleep from her eye. Everything seemed so real to her, but wasn't that what all dreams felt like? Kairi let out a yawn and caught sight of the thalassa shell. "No…" She said quietly. She placed her hand over it to feel if it was real, it was. Kairi ran to her bathroom to get dressed, she had to talk to someone. People raced through her mind as she threw whatever clean clothes she could find on her.

"Mom!" She yelled. Kairi started sprinting downstairs to the kitchen, slipping and sliding as she did so. "Mommmmm!" Kairi yelled again.

"What, sweetie?" Her mother questioned, facing her daughter as she was scrambling eggs.

Kairi stopped to catch her breath and took in the surroundings. There were three people in the room, her, her mom, and Tidus. "Hey Tidus! What'cha doin' up so early?" Kairi giggled as she sat beside him at the table.

"Whoa, Kairi…Noon is early for you?" Tidus laughed as he pointed to the clock.

She couldn't believe her eyes, she was normally an early riser. "How'd I sleep so long?" Kairi pouted.

"You did have a tiring day yesterday, it's alright, Kairi." Tidus reassured with another one of his sunny smiles.

Kairi sighed and nodded, "I guess."

"Oh, Tidus's mother told me all about how he saved your life, sweetie. So don't get so down!" Kairi's mother smiled mischievously.

"What?!" The young teens yelled in unison.

"Why are you so surprised? News travels fast between moms." The adult said with a light smile. She then walked to the table and spooned the eggs into the center bowl. "Help yourselves."

"Thanks!" Tidus said eagerly as he did just as he was told.

"Thanks mom…" Kairi mumbled as she eyed her mother.

Her mom leaned down to her daughter's ear and spoke, "We'll talk in a little bit. Just have some fun with your friends. Sora and Riku's parents are more understanding today. I talked to them, so don't worry about it."

Kairi looked at her mother with sad eyes. In reply, her mother kissed her forehead and walked off into the family room to watch what was on the television.

Kairi looked at the table, not feeling so hungry, but grabbed food anyways. "So how'd you sleep last night?" She asked with a smile.

Tidus was drinking some orange juice and gulped it down quickly to answer her question, "The storm woke me up once but I passed out after a few minutes. And you slept well, I'm guessing." He laughed at the last part.

His laughing must have been contagious because Kairi started laughing with him, "Hey!" She said once her laughing started to die down. She pushed his arm playfully and it made him laugh even harder.

"Oh, Tidus!" Kairi said quickly.

Tidus immediately stopped and looked at her seriously, "Yeah?"

Kairi tilted her head to the side and thought for a moment. "I was wondering if…you maybe wanted to go somewhere…with me today?" She invited sweetly and she took a sip of her orange juice.

"Uh…" Tidus mumbled as he looked down at his plate and scratched his head. "S-sure, Kairi." He said nervously.

"Great! After breakfast? Or I mean brunch?"

"Actually, it's lunch for me." He chuckled.

The two teens decided to just hang out at the park and maybe run into Selphie and Wakka if they were there.

"Tidus…can I tell you something?" Kairi asked while they walked on the trail under the heavily forested area.

"Of course!" Tidus nodded. They both stopped walking and she turned to stare at him.

"Promise you won't tell anyone?"

"Promise."

Kairi smiled and began, "Last night during the storm someone was in my room and it wasn't anyone I think I know." Tidus shot her a concerned look. "I don't know what he wanted! He was just in my room…I may not have known who he was but he knows who I am."

"Kairi…" Tidus said worriedly.

"Yes?" She said absent-mindedly.

"Did he…do anything to you?" Tidus whispered, anger sparking in his eyes.

Kairi's eyes got wide and quickly shook her head, "Oh, no! Of course not!"

"Then where'd he go?"

"I don't know…He was gone when I woke up."

"You passed out?! Then how do you know he didn't do anything?"

"Because I think I'd know. I'm sure he didn't do anything."

Tidus narrowed his eyes at her. "Tell me what he looked like because I'm going to kick his-"

"'ey, Kairi! You ready to learn how to play blitzball, ya?" Wakka interrupted without knowing.

"Hey, Wakka! I don't know. I don't think I can hold my breath under water very long." Kairi giggled. She looked at Tidus, who was looking at her caringly. He didn't want anything bad to happen to her, especially after Sora and Riku disappeared.

"Tidus and I can teach you. Hahah! Of course he's still learnin'!" Wakka boasted.

Tidus laughed and shook his head, "I'm better and you know it!" He said playfully, but also aggressively.

"Ok, maybe!" Kairi half-agreed.

"Then let's go!" Tidus smiled as he grabbed her hand. The three teens started running off to the beach.

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Thanks for reading chapter 6! I'm about to pass out now. Haha, I hope you liked it. Review, thank youuu!


	7. Chapter 7 Comfort

**Sleepless** Chapter 7

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They reached the beach in a minute while the sun shined strongly on the golden sand. Kairi continued to hold Tidus's hand as they walked behind Wakka, who was leading them to the water.

"Wakka!" Kairi called.

"Ya?" The blitz fan called back.

"Maybe you can teach me tomorrow! I'm a little tired today," She stated carefully, knowing it was a lame excuse. She knew Tidus would at least buy it. But she really didn't want to do anything physically demanding today, there was too much on her mind. "Is that alright?" Kairi asked as she bit her bottom lip.

Tidus looked at her and replied for them, "That's fine, Kairi. You can just sit back with…" he stopped to look around and spotted the clumsy brunette a bit away on the docks, "Selphie!" He yelled with a wave of his free hand.

"Hiya!" Selphie shouted as she jumped up and down, giving huge waves. She jumped off the docks, or more like fell off, and ran towards them. "Kairi! How've you been?" Selphie questioned enthusiastically with a huge smile. She wrapped her arms around the red-head and squeezed her tight. Kairi and Tidus's hold on each other slipped and he stepped back with a grin.

"Good, just tired! How about you?" Kairi replied with a little bit less enthusiasm. The friends' embrace ended and they took a step back from each other.

"I'm glad you're alright! Tidus told me all about how you were in such bad shape yesterday after you almost _died_! I don't know where I would be without you to help me boss around the guys!" Selphie explained with watery eyes.

"Aww, Selphie! I'm fine, really!" Kairi said reassuringly with a nod.

Selphie smiled and turned around to look at the boys, who looked out of place. "Well? What are you waiting for? Go play blitzball to cheer Kairi up!" Selphie ordered with a crazily mean face at them. Kairi pictured steam coming out of her ears and giggled.

"S-sure! Tidus, let's play!" Wakka nodded urgently and tugged Tidus along with him.

"You don't really wanna watch them blitz, do ya, Kairi?" Selphie asked with a sigh. She hated how the guys were so wrapped up in blitzball. They could play all day and not complain.

"Only for a little bit." Kairi smiled. Selphie looked at her confused, but nodded. The brunette took a seat in the sand and Kairi did the same.

"Kairi…" Selphie said softly, which surprised the red-head. Selphie never really took her voice down like this. Kairi looked at her friend in reply and waited for her to speak again. "Is it alright for me to mention…them?" She seemed a little scared of asking, probably because everyone knew how close Kairi was to Riku and Sora.

Kairi's eyes wandered back to the boys, who were laughing as they practiced their passes, "Yeah…everything's a little better today." She responded.

Selphie seemed a little hesitant to ask what she wanted, that it was silent for about a minute, "You said…they were coming back?"

The question made Kairi's mind race but she told herself to slow down, "Yeah. They promised." She nodded.

Her friend sighed and smiled, "That's a relief." She patted Kairi's back softly and looked at the boys after hearing a commotion. He and Wakka were passing in the water and were aggressively debating on who was a better blitz player.

Kairi kept a smile stuck on her face as she drifted into her publicly unknown thoughts. _That man…is connected to the blonde girl, somehow. And the shell, did he put that in my room? Or did someone else put it there? I-_

"Kairi! Watch it!"

Kairi looked up and absent-mindedly whispered, "Wha-" The blitzball smacked her right in the forehead. The back of her head hit the soft sand and she rubbed her forehead to relieve some pain. "Whoa…" She whispered.

"Kairi, I'm so sorry!" Tidus shouted as he and Wakka ran to her.

"Kairi! Are you ok?" Selphie asked, crouching near the victim. Tidus kneeled near Kairi's head once he got there and looked worriedly into her large, blue eyes.

"I am so, so sorry," He whispered. Selphie shot him a deadly glance and Tidus gulped loudly.

"I'm fine," Kairi chuckled, "That was a strong pass, Tidus!" She started to sit back up with Tidus's eager help. She started laughing again as she spoke, "Do I..Do I have a b-bump?" She started laughing so hard her stomach started to hurt. Tidus was the first to laugh with her and then all four of them were on the sand laughing.

"I-I didn't see a…a bump." Tidus replied between laughs.

Once the laughter died down, they stared at the sky as they laid in the sand. "You still up for blitzing tomorrow, Kairi?" Tidus asked while he turned to see her still staring at the sky. She smiled and looked at him.

"If I don't have any memory loss, I'll try," Kairi responded while she looked back up to the sky. Tidus slid his hand into hers and she didn't object to his advance. She didn't know if she should do this to him, lead him on like this, but she found comfort in him. His protectiveness towards her and how he's always there to listen makes her feel safe and loved. She just couldn't say no to that, she needed it more than anything right now. Kairi turned her head to look at him again and he was staring back at her, his cheeks tainted with a light red.

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Awww, how cute? I think so. Review, please? –hugs-


	8. Chapter 8 Selfish Burden

Get ready for some _fluff_...? Oh dear, what am I thinking?

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**Sleepless** Chapter 8

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His eyes looked into hers, searching for something. She didn't know what he wanted but she gripped his hand a little tighter and he smiled softly at her. Kairi smiled back and mouthed a 'thank you'. He looked curiously at her but returned to his previous sweet face in a few seconds. Tidus moved his free hand to her cheek and gently pushed away the hair from her eyes.

"Damn, bro, mind asking for some alone time?" Wakka boomed. Kairi and Tidus quickly removed their grasp on each other and stood up swiftly.

"Kairi!" Selphie squealed as she tackled her best friend back to the ground. "You and Tidus?" She questioned, clearly surprised but also excited. She didn't seem to mind Tidus was still behind them.

"Oh-ho-ho. You little-!" Wakka didn't need to finish the sentence so he just took Tidus in a headlock and started to give him a noogie.

"S-Selphie!" Kairi groaned, she was struggling on getting air in her lungs since she was pressed against the sand and her friend.

Selphie gasped and quickly stood up. "Sorry!" She apologized quickly as she helped Kairi up.

"No problem," Kairi smiled. She inhaled deeply and chuckled.

Selphie walked closer to Kairi and put her lips against her friend's ear and whispered, "I totally support you! Tidus can be so hot s-"

"Selphie!" Kairi said surprised as she stepped away. She felt a blush coming on so she covered her face with her hands. The brunette giggled and patted Kairi's back.

"I'm sorry! I just had to see your face!" Selphie started laughing hard again. She even bent down to try and get her breathing back to normal. During her laughing fit, Wakka let go of Tidus. The blonde pressed on his scalp and looked angrily at Wakka.

"Dude, that freakin' hurt!" Tidus growled. Kairi saw the hurt on his face and felt a little bad but also found herself smile at him. Tidus looked at her finally and her expression immediately went shy. She looked at Selphie, hoping to avoid anymore eye contact with Tidus for a while. Selphie got her breathing under control and stood up to look at Kairi. Selphie's lips were sucked in her mouth, trying to fight the urge of laughing again. She didn't win; she ran over to Wakka and giggled something in his ear. Then both of them were laughing.

Kairi pouted at her hysterical friends and blushed madly. She turned around and folded her arms under her chest. _Oh geez, c'mon! What's so funny?_ She didn't even want to know the answer actually. She heard sand-muffled footsteps approach her above the laughing and she turned around, "What's so-" She stopped mid-sentence and scratched her head, "H-hey, Tidus," Kairi said embarrassed. She thought it was going to be Selphie.

"Do you know what's so funny?" Tidus asked as he looked back at Wakka and Selphie, who were adding on to their fun with sayings like, 'Her face was priceless!' and 'Did you see how he held her hand?'. Tidus turned back to her and sighed. "I don't really want to know anymore. I think I got it."

Kairi smiled at him and nodded. "Wanna go somewhere?" She asked, catching him and herself both off guard. But he tried not to show it. Tidus nodded and took her hand in his once again and ran off towards town. After getting off the beach, Tidus turned sharply to the right to get them out of sight from Selphie and Wakka.

"Where did you wanna go?" He asked with a shy smile. He let go of their grasp to give her a little space, but she didn't want space right now. She eagerly grabbed his hand back, surprising her and him again today.

_I don't think this is very safe for me to rely on him like this…but I don't want to lose this comfort. It's selfish, I know that. I might be burdening him with this…I can't do this to him._

"Kairi.." His voice brought her back. "You alright?" He asked, his free left hand touched her cheek and nervously tucked some hair behind her ear.

"Tidus…Are you fine with this? With me always relying on you recently, I mean." Kairi asked. She needed to know this. If he wasn't alright with this, then she'll stop. It'll be a little devastating, but she'll pull herself through, she hoped.

Tidus removed his hand from her face and stared at her with curious eyes, "Of course, I'm fine with it. I'm glad I can be here for you, silly." He replied with a smile. She returned his smile and nodded.

"Thank you," She whispered.

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Hehe. Review, _pretty_ please? Thank you so much!


	9. Chapter 9 Blackmail

**Sleepless** Chapter 9

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Tidus chuckled and stared at her in disbelief. Was this really happening to him? He felt like pinching himself because he wasn't entirely sure. "Hey! I have to show you something!" Kairi beamed, "I want to get your impression on it."

"Alright." Tidus smiled. Once that was said, Kairi led the way to her house swiftly, still holding his hand. As soon as they got to the door, they stopped. They eyed their hands and Tidus spoke, "We might wanna…"

"Yeah." Kairi agreed. They let go of each other and entered the door. "I wonder if they're home…" She whispered to no one in particular. "Meet me in my room." Kairi ordered as she shut the door.

Tidus stopped and turned to her, wide-eyed. "Kairi…I don't think-" He mumbled.

"Nooo! Get your mind out of the gutter. It's nothing like that. Promise." She responded as she rolled her eyes. _Did all guys have their mind wired to that?_ Tidus chuckled, embarrassed and jogged up the stairs, with Kairi in tow. They came to her room and Tidus immediately fell onto the bed. "Tired from blitzing?" Kairi giggled as she sat beside him.

Tidus looked at her with a huge smile on her face, "I'll _never_ get tired of blitzball." Kairi knew he'd say something like that. She grabbed the thalassa shell in her hand and showed it to Tidus. "What's wrong with it?" He asked looking at the shell, then her.

She studied it for a second and replied, "It's not mine. I already finished my charm, so I don't know why I would need it." Tidus sat up and looked at Kairi in a nervous way.

"I think that guy gave it to you then," He stated as he fell back on the bed. Kairi nodded in agreement but she couldn't give a guess on why the man would do that. "That stalker. You need to call the cops, Kairi." Tidus added. He looked at her reaction and she looked in disbelief at him.

"And say what? Some guy in black clothing came in my room to give me a shell?" Kairi asked sarcastically.

_Don't tell him anything else, Kairi._ It wasn't her voice that spoke the words; it was the blonde-headed girl from her dream. Kairi's eyes got wide and tried to think of something to feed Tidus. She heard her brain start clicking.

"I-I mean. I don't know. It might have been all in my head," Kairi said gently. Tidus gave her a worried look and sat up again. He grabbed her hands in his and stared at her, asking if she was sure. Her brain started clicking rapidly now. "I'm sure it was. I mean now that I look back at it. In my dream I had a bat and I was about to hit him, but he teleported! That can't be real, right?" Kairi giggled. She really believed it was real but the girl in her dreams told her to protect what had happened. It felt crazy to Kairi, but she couldn't go against the girl in the white dress either.

Tidus grinned at her, "Well, why didn't you say so? Teleported?" He fell for her excuse of it just being a dream, just about anyone would. But she knew it wasn't a dream, she went to other worlds and saw indescribable things. She could quickly believe the man in the black clothing was real. Tidus took away his hands from hers and opened his hand out to her, "Give me the shell."

"What?" She questioned taken back for a second.

"I'm going to put it in your drawer," he explained while he took the shell from her hand and opened her desk. He looked back at her to see if it was alright. She nodded. Then he simply put the shell in and closed the drawer. Kairi sighed and laid down on her bed, making room for Tidus as she did so. He laid next to her and stared at the ceiling, "What's on your mind?" He asked softly.

She couldn't tell him she was wondering about the man or the blonde girl or even about Sora and Riku right now. Her thoughts raced for a reply that had something to do with Tidus. "When did you start to like me?" She blurted out, she wondered which way he'd take it now that it was said. The friendship way or…

She heard him gulp softly as he placed his right hand over his forehead, "What do you mean?" He asked with a slightly shaking voice.

Kairi shrugged and turned on her right side to look at him, "Exactly what I asked," she smiled. Tidus looked at her and found it difficult the stare so long so he broke eye contact and looked at the ceiling. He felt her eyes on him, still waiting for the answer.

"Kairi…" He stared to reply, "I always-"

"The suspense is too great!" A familiar voice squealed. Kairi and Tidus quickly looked at who stood at the door, Selphie and Wakka.

"Do you guys _ever_ leave?" Tidus spat while he slid off the bed. Kairi rolled on her stomach and pressed her face in the pillow.

_If I stay just like this there will be no more embarrassing moments. Nothing embarrassing, Kairi. It's alright. Just breathe and they'll get bored and leave._

"Kairi!" Selphie shouted as she jumped onto Kairi's queen-sized bed and pulled Kairi away from the pillow. "You and Tidus should go out for ice-cream! Wouldn't that be so cute?" She suggested dreamily. She stared at Kairi and smiled, "Yes! That's it! I got it Wakka! We'll set them up on a secret date!" She shouted excitedly. The brunette girl turned towards the boys and nodded.

"What?!" Kairi and Tidus yelled.

"Selphie, I don't think it's gonna be secret no more, ya?" Wakka sighed, upset that the plan was thrown away as soon as its brilliance was spoken.

"Nooo!" Selphie beamed, "They don't know _where_ we'll be setting them up!" She nodded her head rapidly and the two cupids smiled. She ran over to Wakka and dragged him out of the room giggling.

"And who agreed that we'd do what you want?" Tidus yelled before they got downstairs.

Selphie turned and smiled at the victims, "Blackmail. I have you holding Kairi's hands sweetly and you together, alone in her room. How romantic, wouldn't you say, Wakka?" She showed them the camera she used to take the pictures with and ran swiftly down the stairs with Wakka.

Kairi's jaw dropped as she stared at Tidus, who was also shocked. _That wasn't my brain clicking! That was the camera!_ Kairi mentally slapped herself and pouted.

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AH-haha! Is my brain clicking or what? Review, please? Thank you!


	10. Chapter 10 Are You Ready?

**Sleepless **Chapter 10

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"I am so sorry, Kairi!" Tidus said genuinely as he walked to her. It's not like he didn't want to go on a date with Kairi. He just didn't want to rush anything, especially if she's still worrying about Sora and Riku. She was sitting up on her bed, staring at him. He reached her and held her chin gently. The corners of Kairi's mouth turned up and she started laughing.

"I wonder where they'll set us up," Kairi chuckled. To his surprise, she seemed happy about it. Tidus let go of her. He smirked and raised an eyebrow. "Just don't get ahead of yourself." Kairi warned while she hit him playfully in the chest. He chuckled to himself and nodded.

"Of course I won't," he promised. Clicking filled the room again. "Selphie, don't you have enough blackmail already?" He groaned as he turned to see the returning cupids.

"I just need to make sure! Are you ready?" Selphie asked enthusiastically while she jumped up and down with the disposable camera.

"Now?" Kairi asked a little surprised.

"Of course, we're not gonna be giving you a break!" Wakka replied. He was by Tidus and hit the blonde boy in the head.

"Ow! That hurts!" Tidus stated as he hit Wakka back. Wrong move. Wakka got him in a headlock and Tidus was left struggling to get out.

"Alright! Boys out! I'm going to get some make-up on Kairi!" Selphie beamed while she pointed her finger towards Kairi.

"Wha-No!" Kairi refused. She ran to her bathroom and locked the door.

"Kairi! C'mon! It'd be fun." Selphie tried to convince with the door between her and her best friend.

"No! I'm not putting any make-up on." Kairi said stubbornly. "Now get out so I can get my clothes." Kairi ordered. Selphie looked at the boys and quickly pushed them out. The boys didn't object to get out, they were use to girls. The three reached outside Kairi's room and Kairi eagerly shut the door. "Thank you very much." The red-head called behind the door. She opened her closet and rummaged through it for what to wear.

"So she does want to look nice." Selphie whispered to herself, so none of the boys could hear. Then she pouted, "But then again, Kairi wants to look nice _all_ the time."

"Who are you talking to?" Tidus asked once Wakka let him go.

Selphie turned to Tidus and smiled, "No one! What are you going to do on the date?" She quickly switched topics.

Tidus's jaw dropped and he turned around, "You two are unbelievable."

"'ey!" Wakka grinned as he slapped Tidus's back, "Admit it. You want to go on this date."

"Hey!" Tidus argued. It was embarrassing enough getting blackmailed. He didn't want to overstep the line between Kairi and him. The hard thing was, he didn't know where the line was. "I'm not admitting anything to you two." He mumbled.

"But he'll admit anything to Kairi…"Wakka whispered to Selphie.

"What did you say?!" Tidus yelled.

"Nah, not anything. He couldn't even tell Kairi when he started liking her." Selphie said in disappointment. Tidus started cursing profanities but Wakka was quick enough to shut him up with another one of his famous headlocks. By this time, you'd think Tidus would try and think or a counter for it. Selphie shook her head and turned to Kairi's door. "Kaiiiiiriiiii! Are you done yet?" Selphie sang. She pushed the door open to a crack and took a peek. "K-Kairi!" She screamed as she ran into the room, with the boys quickly in tow.

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I just love giving you cliff hangers. I'm so sorry. Hehe. Review?


	11. Chapter 11 The Gap

**Sleepless **Chapter 11

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Selphie ran into the room and tackled Kairi. "You look so cute!" The brunette shouted. Tidus and Wakka skidded to a halt and sighed.

"I thought something bad was happening, ya?" Wakka muttered as he shook his head in disapproval at Selphie.

"S-Selphie, ouch." Kairi giggled, a little pained. Selphie gasped and took a step back. Kairi wore a black skirt, similar to the purple one she wears a lot, and a long-sleeved light pink shirt. "Maybe turn the screaming down so my neighbors won't think I'm getting kidnapped." Kairi suggested with a smile.

"Right-o! Now the main event! Go Tidus, go! Take her hand!" Selphie ordered as she stepped away.

"What?" Tidus asked shyly. He looked at Kairi who was smiling. She knew he was wondering if it was alright, so she walked over to him and grabbed his hand.

"C'mon," Kairi said with a nod. Selphie giggled and led the way outside.

"We actually don't have anything really planned for you two." Wakka announced once they got outside. Tidus and Kairi looked at each other and laughed. "But you're still gonna go out there." He grinned. Kairi nodded and whispered something in Tidus's ear. Before Selphie and Wakka could say anything they sped off.

"At least we know they'll be having a good time. And we won't need this." Selphie giggled as she waved the camera around and stared at Wakka to see if he agreed.

"Yeah, we can trash the film. Kairi having a good time…that's all that matters, ya? We owe it to Riku." The orange-haired blitz player agreed.

"Right! We gotta take care of her!" Selphie nodded. "But…where do you think they're going?" She asked as she threw the disposable camera in a nearby trash can. Wakka shrugged once they started walking away.

Kairi and Tidus sat inside the ice-cream shop, talking about blitzball and school. Kairi was actually interested in blitzball, though she knew she could never really get that great at it. "I hope you get some sleep tonight, I wouldn't want you being three hours late for school because you overslept," Tidus laughed as he stopped eating his chocolate mint ice-cream.

"If I'm that late, I'm sure the teachers would be surprised by my excuse," She muttered with a smile. She saw Tidus had a piece of chocolate on his chin. "Hey…Tidus," She chuckled as she pointed to her chin.

"What?" He questioned as he looked directly at her chin, "You look fine." He nodded.

"No, I mean _you_ have some chocolate on your chin," Kairi laughed while she took a napkin and wiped it off for him. He blushed immediately and Kairi laughed harder. "Oh, I'm sorry!" She apologized, quickly shutting her mouth, though a few chuckles escaped her closed lips.

"N-no worries," He muttered. He took another spoonful of his ice-cream and looked around. It was almost six o'clock. "How's your ice-cream?" Tidus asked, turning back towards her. She had ice-cream in her mouth and simply nodded with a thumbs up of her free hand. They were almost done eating and he smiled at her.

"What?" She asked innocently. She wiped her lip and stared at him with a smile.

"Just thinking," He responded.

Kairi's right eyebrow rose, "About?" She pried.

He sat back and asked, "Where do you wanna go after this?"

"Selphie and Wakka are probably keeping their eyes on the time we're out," she stated as she took another bite of her strawberry ice-cream.

Tidus sighed, "You're probably right about that. They're completely crazy about this." Kairi thought for a moment and nodded.

"Let's go to the park again!" Kairi suggested enthusiastically. Tidus tilted his head the side and rubbed his chin.

"Alright," he agreed. Tidus took one last bit of his ice-cream and waited patiently for Kairi to finish. "You should grow your hair out," he blurted. Kairi looked at Tidus and smiled.

"Why do you say that?" She asked as she felt the length of her hair; it went a little below her chin.

"You'll look…"

"Better?" Kairi asked, wondering if she finished his sentence correctly.

"I-I don't mean it like that, Kairi. I was just wondering what you'd look like with longer hair," he said defensively. He hoped he didn't offend her.

"It's alright!" She assured. Kairi put her spoon down and tugged at her hair on both sides of her head. "I think I will actually. I haven't grown it out for a while, huh?" She asked, thinking back of when she was younger. But back then, her hair was still kind of short. She went back to eating her ice-cream and Tidus went back to staring at her. "Do you always have to stare?" Kairi smiled, she actually enjoyed his attention but sometimes she thought he could loosen up.

"I thought you wanted me to stare at you today," he replied with a smirk, "But that's fine. I'll just look outside." He turned to look out the window.

_This is good. She's filling the gap._ Kairi furrowed her eyebrows together at the strangely familiar voice. Who was talking this time? _What are you talking about? _Kairi thought, wondering if the voice could hear her. But there was no reply.

"I'm done," Kairi announced, looking at her empty ice-cream bowl then at Tidus. "Let's go!"

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Haha, did you guys sweat over nothing in the last cliffy or what? xD

I hope you liked it! Review please? Thank you!


	12. Chapter 12 Goodbye

Chapter 12 –Goodbye

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The birds chirped from the sky as the couple linked their hands together. Kairi suggested walking on the trail, which Tidus refused to go on at first. He didn't really like walking in forests, but she convinced him with a pout. "Do you mind if I ask you that question again?" Kairi whispered. She turned to Tidus, who was looking ahead.

There was a small silence. "What question?" He asked. She could tell he had a guess, but he just wanted to make sure.

"About when you started to like me," she finished. Her eyes were still locked on him. Tidus caressed her hand in the grasp with his thumb, trying to think of what to say. She didn't mind waiting because she knew he was taking the question to something more than friendship. At that moment, she felt like someone stabbed her. _This is wrong to do_, she thought to herself. She hoped he didn't answer her for a while. She needed to think before he said anything. _Do I find Tidus more than a friend? I know I see him as comfort and someone to can tell most of my feelings to, but… I don't know. I've only kind of felt that way towards…_ She couldn't think anymore. "Wait, Tidus! Don't answer that!" She said quickly.

Tidus stopped walking and Kairi did the same. "No. I think I have to tell you, Kairi," He whispered as he looked into her eyes. Her eyes widened, _No, I don't want to know. Don't tell me. I need to do something to stop you. I need to tell you. I need to warn you._

"Tidus…I don't know. What if I break your heart? I don't want to do that to you," Kairi said as her eyes got watery. She couldn't lose him. She couldn't lose this reassurance he gives her. She clutched his hand a little tighter and begged him to reconsider.

He shook his head, "No. I don't care, Kairi. I'm always going to be here for you, you know that, don't you? I always liked you, Kairi. But I don't want to rush you at all! If you want to stay just friends that's…alright. I understand. But-" Kairi couldn't take it anymore it was breaking her heart seeing him confess his like this. She hugged him tightly and buried her head in his chest. He stumbled backwards a few paces but stood his ground. The boy hesitantly wrapped his arms around her and rested his chin on top of her head. "I'm sorry…I didn't mean to…" He trailed off, not knowing what else to say.

"No. There's no need to apologize," She whispered through trembling lips. _I'm so confused. Do I like Tidus the way he likes me? I don't know! I don't know how I feel yet! How could he confess everything like that to me and still not expect me to feel the same way?_ She tightened her grip on the back of his shirt and felt tears threaten to fall. "How can you be so strong?" She said softly, trying her best to stay under control. She felt the tears stream down her cheeks now.

Tidus sighed gently, "I don't know what you mean by that." He really didn't see the strength she saw. There was nothing strikingly strong about him, was there? He doubted himself of such characteristics.

"How can you not see?" She mumbled. Kairi pulled her head away from his chest and stared into his eyes. He was surprised once he saw her face.

"Kairi…don't cry, please," he begged.

She shook her head rapidly in defiance and stopped to whisper through her tears, "You know…You've always been…" A sob rose in her throat, she couldn't talk without being incomprehensible so she stopped.

"Shh…It's alright," he whispered, trying to soothe her. He took her face in his hands and wiped away her stray tears with his thumbs. "Please stop crying," his voice stayed soft as he continued to speak. Kairi could barely see through her many tears. Everything was getting so blurry. Her vision then started to switch between Tidus and someone else; someone far away, someone she was forgetting, someone she cared for. Their face was being erased. _Who are you? _Their face was gone and all that was left was Tidus's. Her eyelids suddenly turned heavy and all she saw was black as she fell into Tidus's chest.

_Goodbye..._

_My sky..._

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I sure hope you know who her sky was. If you don't then I guess this is more of a cliffy for you then everyone else. D: Review, pretty please? Thank you!


	13. Chapter 13 First Morning

**Sleepless **Chapter 13

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The early sun broke through the blue curtains and the birds sang to welcome its arrival. The digital clock read 7:00. The calendar told it was Monday. School was today. She wondered how she got back in her room and what happened. But she didn't wonder too long, she stepped out of bed and walked tiredly to her bathroom to get ready for school. After thirty minutes, she came out in her school uniform and towel-dried hair. Kairi threw her bag over her shoulder and walked downstairs to the kitchen. "Morning mom. Morning dad," She greeted. She grabbed a breakfast bar and some juice.

"Are you feeling alright today, sweetie?" Her mother asked concerned as she sat next to her husband. Kairi nodded and started eating her breakfast.

"You can stay home today if you want. Your mother and I wouldn't want you passing out at school," Her father stated.

"I'm fine. How was your business trip?" Kairi quickly switched the topic. She felt perfectly fine. She just needed some food in her system, that's all. But she only worried about the present, about her passing out. All she remembered was Tidus confessing his feelings and she got emotional about it. She passed out because of that? _Maybe I can like Tidus the way he does me, in time._ Kairi thought to herself.

"It was alright. I had to give a bunch of presentations though," He sighed. He took a sip of his coffee and looked at his daughter. "You're going to be late for school."

Kairi giggled as she nodded. She took one last drink of her juice and yelled, "Goodbye!" when she went out the door.

"Have you talked to her about home, yet?" The husband asked, standing up to get a little more coffee.

The wife shook her head, "No. Not yet. I haven't got around to it. But I think she knows the gist of it. Don't you think?" She asked as she turned her head away from her breakfast and looked at her husband.

He nodded in agreement, "It might be better if we stray away from anything that involves Riku for a while."

Kairi started walking towards school and kind of regretted not stay home. Her head was aching, maybe she could go back and take some medicine. _No, then I'd be late for sure. Oh! Selphie probably has some medicine on her. Please, please, please have some._

"Hey, Kairi!" Selphie shouted as she ran over to the red-head and started to walk by her side. "How'd the date go?" She pried excitedly.

Kairi smiled, "It was good. I kinda ruined it since I passed out during it. Which brings me to something important; do you have any headache pills on you?"

Selphie rummaged through her bag as she replied, "Passed out?! What? No kiss? Or did you pass out because of the kiss?" She smiled deviously at Kairi as she handed over the medicine.

The red-head's eyes widened as she popped the pill in her mouth. Once she swallowed it she laughed, "No, Selphie. No kiss." Kairi felt the relief coming to her aching head.

Selphie immediately frowned but she quickly turned it upside down, "So…tell me, Kairi. Do you see something with you and Tidus?" Kairi's cheeks turned pink as she stared at the brunette.

"I really don't know, Selph. I don't want to do anything that can drive us apart later on," Kairi said carefully, like she was explaining her feelings to Tidus also. Selphie nodded and grinned brightly.

"I'm sure Tidus will understand. He'll give you time," The brunette said as they both picked up their pace.

Kairi shook her head, "That's what I'm scared of," she sighed. Selphie stopped walking as Kairi continued on. The brunette furrowed her eyebrows in confusion for a second.

Selphie caught up to Kairi again, "Because…you really don't know how you feel yet, right?"

"He's a really loveable guy. I just don't know if it'll be alright between us again if anything goes wrong. And I'm scared of that," Kairi said quickly. They reached their school and were walking to class.

"Kairi…" Selphie whispered, "Alright, I'll tell Wakka to lay off a bit on you guys." Kairi turned to her, waiting more for. "And I'll back off a little too!" The brunette added quickly.

Kairi nodded, "Thank you," she replied. The girls reached the classroom and they took their seats. Selphie sat to her right and to her left was…no one. She furrowed her eyebrows as she remembered Riku sat one more seat down. _Why'd he never sit near me again?_ She couldn't remember, but Tidus stood in front of her.

"Mind if I sit here?" He asked gently.

"Sure! Hey, Tidus…mind filling me in on what happened yesterday…during the passing out and after?" Kairi's voice turned softer as she spoke to him.

Tidus sat down near Kairi and looked at her carefully, "I'm glad you're alright. I didn't know what I said…would scare you like that," he apologized a little pained.

Kairi's eyes widened in horror, "No. I wasn't scared. It just…you know, surprised me," she reasoned. She ran her finger over his hand gently as a sign of reassurance. Tidus shook his head, his eyes still glued to hers. He looked scared. "Tidus, tell me what happened," she whispered.

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Review? Thank you! I hope you enjoyed Chapter 13!


	14. Chapter 14 All In Your Head

**Sleepless** Chapter 14

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His blue eyes looked towards the clock; 7:45, class will be starting soon. Tidus turned to look at her again. She noticed his breathing started to get irregular. "You said it was all in your head, the guy in the black clothing." Kairi's eyes widened in horror once more.

"What about-" she started.

"I saw him, Kairi. He was in the park," Tidus notified as his eyes left hers and he turned to look at the windows. The coast was clear. He turned his attention to her.

_He's getting paranoid._ Kairi saw. Guilt hit her hard. _Tidus isn't suppose to get involved like this. I don't want him to be afraid._ "Tidus, tell me everything that happened."

He sighed and began, "When you passed out, I immediately knew I should bring you home and tell your parents. So I started carrying you out of the woods as fast as I could. Then out of no where, someone with a guy's voice says, 'Where are you taking her?' but I shrugged it off. I thought it was all in my head. But before I got out of the park, he stood there between me and the exit. He said, 'At least you won't forget her.' So I stopped and connected the pieces instantly; he was the guy in your room. So once I figured that out I asked him what he wanted. All he did was smile, so I started to run again and try to see some of his face. But it was covered with a big hood…. I don't know what he wants, Kairi. But I think you should-"

"I'm not calling the police," she whispered with firm eyes. Tidus looked at her worriedly but kind of understood her point. The bell rang and they went into their normal sitting position. As the teacher took roll, Kairi kept looking at Tidus wondering if the guy in the park was the same guy who was in her room. There could be more than one or Kairi could have really dreamt it and just foretold the future. She didn't know entirely anymore. Everything seemed fuzzy. She didn't want to think about the guy in black right now. She couldn't get her memories straight. Recent memories seemed like the least effected but ones from a longer time ago were jumbled and had spaces. Her brain seemed useless to her now and her head started aching again. She leaned her head on her propped up hand and sighed. _This is great, I can't even remember what happened this week and I'm being thrown into school where I have to remember practically everything._ She smiled sarcastically at herself but then it turned hopeful. _Maybe I'll feel better tomorrow. And if we got homework tonight, I'm definitely asking someone for homework help._

Tidus was off in his thoughts, not knowing what to think. He didn't want to believe that the guy in the black was the same one who was in Kairi's room. He cursed himself for not getting anymore information out of the guy. He glanced at Kairi, who was smiling to herself with her head on her hand. She caught him glancing at her and gave a smile. The teacher called for attention at the front of the room, and everyone in the classroom obeyed. The teacher informed they'd be complete Algebra assignments today. Kairi and Selphie looked at each other at the same time with their mouths open. The girls didn't have Algebra down so well, but Tidus and Wakka seemed to get it quickly. Selphie suggested it must be in their testosterone, which Kairi thought was a little weird to suggest but giggled with her friend anyway.

"So, Kairi, we have the best seats in the classroom if you know what I mean," Selphie whispered as she eyed Wakka to the right of her, and Tidus to the left of Kairi. Kairi's eyes lit up. Maybe school was the perfect way to get rid of this fuzzy feeling in her head. The red-head nodded with a grin. The girls turned to the boys in unison and asked how to do certain problems. Kairi and Selphie weren't stupid; Algebra was just harder for them to understand. They understood the basics; slopes, intercepts, certain formulas, but the girls never caught on as fast as Tidus or Wakka. The boys seemed to understand it as soon as it was spoken while the girls were left looking over notes and going to each other's houses to study for the next test.

The boys agreed to help them, what was the harm done in helping out a friend? Before Kairi finished her assignment, she looked at Tidus, asking if she could get off topic for a while with her eyes. He scooted his desk over a little without a single noise and nodded. "I want to hang out with you a little more," she said cautiously. "To help me figure out how I really feel about you and also how to do tonight's homework." She tried to add a little humor in her suggestion. She just hoped he didn't get the idea of her just wanting to be around him for his smarts.

He laughed at her softly as his cheeks turned light pink. "Do you really?" His tone turned a little serious. She punched his arm playfully and nodded.

"I do."

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Review? Thank youuuu!


	15. Chapter 15 Shhh

How are you doing today? :D Enjoy chapter... 15?! Wow, I didn't know it was so short. :(

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**Sleepless **Chapter 15

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After school, Kairi went over to Tidus's house to study. The teacher decided to schedule a test for tomorrow, scaring Kairi immensely. But Tidus is kind enough to slow down whenever she needed and give her examples if she had trouble understanding. They were on his floor lying on their bellies, across from each other. "My head's been hurting all day, I'm surprised I'm actually getting this," Kairi said pleased with herself.

Tidus smiled at her, "What? Is it contagious? I've been feeling that way since last night," he groaned as he rubbed his head.

"You too?" Kairi asked surprised. _Are his memories foggy too?_ Tidus nodded in reply and started jotting down some equations. She sat up and dragged her book and with her to Tidus's side.

He switched his eyes from his paper to her, "Need help?" He asked. Tidus took a glance at her work and noticed she was doing pretty well, just eight problems behind him. She shook her head.

"Nope. I'm fine. Hey, Tidus. Is your brain all scrambled and weird feeling?" Kairi asked while she stared into his blue eyes.

He laughed at her and shook his head, "I've never touched my brain."

"Oo, you know what I mean!" She argued. His face turned serious now.

"A little bit. I can't remember something and I don't know what that something is. It's leaving little gaps and it's pissing me off," he sighed. Kairi could tell he thought about the problem before she brought it up.

"But everything is fine…Like we don't need to remember that something because, look! We're fine. It's just been bothering me trying to find it out," Kairi agreed. Tidus rolled on to his back and looked up at his light blue ceiling.

"Are you sure it's safe to say we don't need to remember?" He questioned as he closed his eyes. He seemed a little tired, now that Kairi thought about it.

His question repeated in her mind again and again. She mentally pictured herself trying to grasp it within her hands but it didn't come, "I don't know actually. I'm scared to think about it." She whispered sadly. Kairi rolled on her side and leaned her head on Tidus's chest. He had a quick jolt but wrapped his left arm around her protectively. "What if we've lost something really important?" She whispered sadly.

"Don't think about it too much, Kai. I'm sure something will come up and we'll remember," he assured as he tightened his hold on her.

Kairi nodded, "I hope so," she whispered. Tidus closed his eyes again but his hold on Kairi stayed firm. She looked to see his shut eyes, "Hey, are you tired?" He just nodded. "I'll be off to my house then." She whispered as she started to peel his fingers away, but they kept grabbing back on to her.

"Don't. I'm fine. Let's finish with the homework," He muttered as he finally let her go. She rolled away and stopped before her book. He did the same, "Just let me finish this problem and I'll help you out in a second," he said softly as he picked up his pencil. Kairi looked at Tidus secretively and saw his eyes drop close from time to time as she finished problem after problem. She was concerned about him, once she got to the last problem he was still on it.

"Tidus," She whispered as she shook his shoulders gently. He fell over. "Tidus! I'm so sorry!" She apologized quickly. She leaned over and saw his eyes still closed. "Tidus…" Kairi touched his cheek and a little shock went through her fingertips. She sat up in surprise.

His face looked pale suddenly. Tidus was naturally tan and now he looked so pale it scared her. She'd never seen him this light. Kairi stood up to call for his parents but she immediately fell back to the floor, her legs felt so weak. She let out a pained whimper and looked at the doorway.

Someone was standing there. She wore a white dress. Kairi's eyes were closing but she tried to keep them open. She knew who it was. "What's happening…?" She whispered. The blonde girl stood still in the doorway and brought her index finger to her lips.

_Shhh…. Everything will be fine._

Kairi's eyes closed and darkness took her in its grasp.

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Review? Please? Thank you very much! -hugs-


	16. Chapter 16 Nothing

Oh my. What's up with all these shorter chapters? D: They look some much longer in Microsoft Word...

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**Sleepless **Chapter 16

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She was falling headfirst into the dark. _Why would I jump into darkness? _She looked at something falling before her, it was far away. _Did I jump to catch it?_ She didn't know. She didn't care at the moment either. She closed her blue eyes and faces flashed through her mind people she didn't recognize, then her parents, Selphie, Wakka, Tidus and of course, Riku. But Riku stayed there. He didn't disappear like the ones before him. _Who came before Riku again?_ Kairi couldn't remember.

Riku smiled at her as they started racing on the island. But she was far behind him. _No, Riku's not smiling at me._ He was looking to the left of him, ahead of her. Kairi looked at the sand and saw footsteps appear before her. No one was making the prints but they kept appearing and Kairi kept following in whoever's footsteps. She looked up and saw him; spiky brown hair and big yellow shoes. She didn't recognize him. She couldn't see his face. Kairi tried calling out, but no noise came from her throat. She tried again. Nothing. She reached her hand towards the spiky brunette and felt his clothing on her fingertips. But right when she felt it, she tripped and everything turned black again. And she continued to fall. The object ahead of her was gone and now she felt like she was falling to nothing. Nothing was going to catch her, was this her fate? To have nothing to look forward to? _No. I'll wait. There's something there for me. There has to be._

She waited. It felt like she was falling for hours, she didn't know. Light glimmered ahead of her and she waited for it to grow, but it didn't. _Am I still falling?_ Her feet hit the transparent floor. She was confused. She thought she was falling headfirst. The light shined above her. She jumped to reach it, it was futile. _I'm not going to give up!_ She stood on her tiptoes and reached as far as she could towards the light.

Brightness engulfed the area. She was in the white room from her dream, _No, it has windows and doors this time. _Kairi looked around and saw sketches of the unfamiliar on the floor. She smiled at them but looked elsewhere. _Where am I now?_ She walked to a nearby door and put her hand on it.

"What are you doing here?" Kairi quickly turned to the voice. It was the blonde girl again.

Kairi sighed, "Hey! I actually don't know." She said a little embarrassed. "Can you help me out?" She asked gently. Kairi walked near her and gave a smile, but the blonde girl looked sadly at her. "Are you ok?" The blonde stared down at the floor as Kairi touched her shoulder. Another shock through the fingertips, the red-head jumped back.

"You're not suppose to be here," The girl in the dress stated.

Black smoke started forming behind the girl, "Namine, Sora's memories should be-" The smoke turned into a man in a black cloak. His eyes caught Kairi's. "What is she doing here?" He yelled at the blonde.

Kairi ran between Namine and the man. "It's not her fault!" Kairi defended. The girl looked surprised at Kairi but then looked at the man. He started walking to them. Kairi stood her ground even when he grabbed her wrist. She looked into his green eyes with fear, "You're the guy from-"

"No, don't! I'll take care of her." Namine interrupted. The guy let go of Kairi and disappeared into darkness. Kairi turned to Namine and stared at her. _What is she going to do?_ "Please, hold still," Namine begged, "I don't want to hurt you anymore than I have."

Kairi did what she was told, preparing to die. She closed her eyes and thought of everyone she could and hoped they knew she loved them. Tears started to fall from her eyes uncontrollably. She heard a door fly open and she didn't dare open her eyes until she heard someone speak.

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Review? I hope you enjoyed!

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	17. Chapter 17 Reunion

**Sleepless **Chapter 17

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"Namine? I've finally found you!"

Kairi opened her eyes to see who the voice came from. But right when she got a glance of the spiky brunette, Namine stood in front of her. _The boy. He was racing with me and Riku. _Shivers went down her spine. _Something about this situation scares me._

"Sora!" Namine cried as she ran towards him. Kairi saw him now; that goofy smile that always made her smile too. _Always? But I don't know him. Unless…_

_**Remember what you said before? **__**I'm always with you too. I'll come back to you. I promise!**_

_I know you will…_

"He's the important one that I've forgotten," she whispered as she stared at the blonde holding on to him. Something was breaking; she felt it in her chest. He looked at Kairi and they stiffened at the same time. In that second, they knew that they were happy, but they didn't know why they felt this way. "Sora…" The name felt perfectly normal and safe as it flew into the air. His blue eyes looked at her, then at Namine. Something was wrong.

Dark smoke appeared in front of Kairi, blocking the view they had of each other. "Sora! How've you been?" The voice sounded laid-back and casual. The cloaked man appeared, facing Kairi. His red locks of hair were seen out of his hood.

"What are you doing to her?" Sora questioned firmly.

"Namine is perfectly fine; she's in your arms right now, isn't she?" The hooded man said simply.

"I know that! I'm talking about Kai-"

"Forget about the nobody."

Kairi stared up in the frequent stranger's eyes. _A nobody?_ She shook her head and started to run but he caught her wrist. She groaned in frustration and gave him a 'I'm-gonna-kick-you-in-the-groin' glare.

"I don't want this to be harder than it should be," He whispered so only she could hear. "I'll take you back to your friends." He kept eye contact. He didn't want her looking in Sora's or Namine's direction.

"But…"

"You know what to do," He announced, not directed to her. She was consumed by darkness again. _Why is it always darkness? _The man was gone and she was left alone in the black area doing nothing. She was sitting on the ground with only her thoughts to accompany her. She's been like this for hours and hours, bored out of her mind. Even her thoughts abandoned her a while back because it was so boring. She couldn't think even if she tried. Her brain was just blank.

"Kairi!"

She jolted up and looked behind her to see him, "Sora!" She screamed. She ran into his chest and hugged him tightly. This was a little weird to her, she couldn't remember anything about Sora but she knew she forgot.

"I looked everywhere for you," He mumbled as he hugged her too. "But my mind has been a blur for days, I even forgot about you. How could I be so stupid?"

Kairi didn't understand, _He remembers?_ "I've forgotten too, Sora," she admitted sadly. She wanted to remember so badly but no matter how hard she tried she couldn't. As soon as she'd catch something that seemed familiar it was quickly erased.

"Y-you don't remember?" He asked, devastated. She felt like crying, _I should remember. _Kairi shook her head sadly.

"I'm sorry, Sora. Nothing is coming. I'm trying so hard but I…" Tears started to fill her eyes.

"Kairi, it's ok. Don't cry, let me help you…Do you remember traveling to different worlds?" He asked quickly.

Her eyes lit up and her mouth opened, "Hollow Ba-" She started, but the word was gone. Sora now understood _they_ were taking away her memories as they spoke and soon, he'd forget again too. Tears streamed down her cheeks in frustration and also sadness, "Sora, I can't remember anything about you." It pained them both to hear the words. Sora grabbed her hands eagerly and noticed she was fading away.

His heart sped up and he looked at her sadly, "We'll remember each other again. I promise." He knew he wasn't being honest with her because he really didn't know. "This might be the last time I get to see you in a long time," He said while she continued to disappear. They didn't have much time together. Sora quickly kissed her forehead and whispered his name in her ear, hoping she'll remember him for a second longer.

She was gone.

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I tried to revive Kairi's feelings for Sora in this one and vice versa. Can you tell? :D Review if you want? Thank you!


	18. Chapter 18 Like It Never Happened

**Sleepless** Chapter 18

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Her eyelids fluttered open and she sat up tiredly. It felt like she was out for days. She took a look at her surroundings, it was Tidus's room. He was on the ground sleeping…drooling also, Kairi noted. She giggled and poked him in the side. He didn't wake up. Kairi went on a poking frenzy for a minute until Tidus sat up quickly, knocking her down on her back by surprise.

"Kairi, don't…How long was I out?" He asked while he helped her back up.

"Thanks," she said with a huge smile, "I don't know. I passed out too. You were drooling by the way…" As soon as she said 'drooling', Tidus ran to his bathroom and she heard the sink go on. She looked at the clock, five in the afternoon. Kairi grabbed the television remote and turned it on: static. She turned one channel up: static. She furrowed her eyebrows, "Tiiiiidusssssssss!" She chimed loudly. Tidus walked out of the bathroom after he washed his face and looked at her.

"Yeah?"

"Your TV isn't working," she pouted. He sat behind her cross-legged and she handed him the remote. Kairi leaned her back on his chest and sighed, "Fix it."

Tidus laugh as he pulled her a little closer to him. He pressed the volume down a little and started flipping through channels, static, static, and more static. He let out a "hm" and stood back up. "Keep flipping through channels and tell me if you see something." He handed the remote back to her and he started messing with the back of his TV.

"Don't shock yourself!" Kairi warned very concerned as she started flipping the channels. She heard him laugh from behind the television.

"Still nothing?"

"Nothing." She replied with a sigh, "Wait! I just got something…but it's still all fuzzy." Tidus quickly backed away from the TV and checked it. It still had light static.

Some guy with pink hair came onto the screen, "Rejoice, Namine. The hero you've longed for is nearly here." It then showed a shot of a girl with blonde hair smiling lightly, "I'm…I'm happy."

"Crappppp," Tidus labeled as he snatched the remote from Kairi. He flopped on his bed and laid down. He switched the channel to sports…static.

"Hey! I was watching that!" Kairi yelled as she jumped on his bed also.

He sighed, "Why do you girls find drama so interesting?" He flipped the channel back to what she wanted to watch since everything else seemed to be static.

"Because…" she trailed off, her eyes were stuck on the screen. Tidus set the remote down and pulled Kairi's back to his chest. She didn't mind, he's always been pretty protective of her since…she could remember. "It's interesting. And why do you boys find sports so interesting? The same reason why bees are attracted to honey, they just are. It's practically the same." Kairi reasoned. She rotated around to see Tidus's face.

He was blushing, "Whatever." He mumbled as she touched the end of his hair. "What are you doing?"

She smiled at him, "What hair product do you use?"

Tidus laughed as he hovered over her. His hands were pressed on the bed with Kairi's head in the gap. "Completely natural," he winked.

"Not-uh!" She argued. She pushed his arms playfully but his hand slipped off the bed, dragging him down to the floor. During his fall he grabbed his blanket and brought Kairi along with him. He groaned and groaned again once Kairi fell on him. "Why'd you bring me down with you? And who turned off the lights?" She asked a little scared. Kairi heard Tidus laugh.

"It's just the blankets, Kai. Chill," He assured. She started laughing at herself as Tidus pulled the covers away. Kairi rolled down to the floor and onto her back.

"You ok? I wasn't too heavy, was I?" She questioned with a smile. He rolled on his side to face her and shook his head.

"I'm a pretty tough guy, you know," He grinned.

Kairi giggled at his boyish attitude, "Are you?" She reached for his hand and he held it gently.

"Only to make sure you're safe though." He whispered in her ear. She turned to him, his lips near hers.

_Do I care for him the way he cares for me?_ She could either turn away or keep her head still as he moved his lips closer and closer to her…

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Did you like? If yes, if no, review please. :)


	19. Chapter 19 Static

**Sleepless **Chapter 19

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"Are you alright?" Tidus whispered. She knew he meant, _Would you be alright if I kiss you?_ Kairi blinked and stared at him. She had a choice, she wondered if the one she was leaning towards was the right one to choose.

"I'm fine," she whispered, barely audible. Tidus's eyes widened slightly, a little surprised. He squeezed her hand as he leaned his lips to hers. They closed their eyes and their lips met. It was gentle and cautious but Kairi found it very sweet. She smiled and he broke away from her.

"What's wrong?" He asked gently with his face as red as she'd ever seen. She giggled at him and shook her head.

She moved her free hand through his hair gently. She thought she heard his fast heartbeat, or maybe it was just hers. Tidus started leaning to her once more. Footsteps climbed the stairs and the blonde jerked his body away from Kairi as fast as he could. She laughed at him and turned back to the TV to pretend they were watching it.

"What are you doin'? Watching static?" Tidus's dad, Jecht, asked with a quick laugh as he stared at the static-filled TV.

"It's not working, dad." Tidus pointed out. _Like his dad didn't notice._

Jecht nodded to himself, "My TV ain't working either. Let me call the neighbors." His dad then ran downstairs. Kairi sat up and tossed Tidus the remote. They looked at each other and blushed. He slid near her side and pressed his lips against her ear.

"Did I scare you?" His voice was soft and a little pained. She turned to look up at him and smiled.

"I trust you," she replied honestly. Kairi pecked his cheek as she got up. "You might wanna finish your homework though. I finished before you too! Aren't you proud of me?" She asked with a small laugh. Tidus stood up also and smiled at her. He was about to say something by his dad called him from downstairs. Tidus ran downstairs to talk with him.

"None of the neighbors' TVs are working either." Kairi heard Jecht inform. She frowned at herself. _Something is up._ She looked at the television, still static. But she heard sound coming from it. Sound of people talking, but she couldn't make out the words. Every so often she'd see blurry images, but she couldn't make out those either. Kairi decided to try Tidus's computer. It was conveniently turned on, all she had to do was turn on the monitor. She hovered the cursor over the time, 5:15 PM. She looked at the small pop-up in disbelief. It was Friday. Four days have passed since she slept.

"Tidus!" She yelled as she started running out of the room.

"What is it?" Tidus asked. The blonde boy and his father looked at her.

"Tell me what day it is," Kairi ordered. Tidus and Jecht looked at each other.

"It's Monday." The father and son both said in unison.

Kairi shook her head, "That's not what it says on your computer."

"What does it say?" Tidus asked as he started going up the steps.

"Friday."

"What the hell?" Jecht yelled. The three of them ran to Tidus's room and hovered over the time again; it was Friday. "I think I gotta call the neighbors again," the father muttered. As he walked down the steps the teens heard him say, "All I did was take a nap and…"

Kairi and Tidus turned to each other. "That's impossible." Kairi whispered, "Do you think everyone on the island slept at the same time?"

Tidus stared at her, thinking, "Hold on." He sat in his computer chair and went to the local news station website. "What the…"

"What?" Kairi questioned while she wrapped her arms loosely around Tidus's neck.

"It wasn't updated since Monday," Tidus replied. He tried the school's website.

"Wasn't updated since Monday," she replied worriedly. "Tidus…what do you think is wrong?" He shook his head. "Let me call my parents." She let go of Tidus and picked up her cell phone that was on the ground. She pressed her home number in.

Ring…Ring…Ring…

"H-Hello?" Her mother yawned.

"Mom?! Tell me you weren't just sleeping." Kairi begged. Tidus quickly turned to Kairi, his eyes wide.

"Yeah, your father and I decided to take a nap," She yawned again. Tidus looked at her, wondering what her mother told her.

"Ok, say hi to dad for me. I gotta get…back to my homework. Love you!" Kairi said quickly and shut the phone. She turned to Tidus and nodded.

"No freakin' way."

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What's happening? Oh dear! Review? x)


	20. Chapter 20 Skip the Intro, It’s Official

TWENTY? Already? :D A little longer chapter than the last few, sorry about that!

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**Sleepless **Chapter 20

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Jecht came into Tidus's room a few minutes later saying everyone he saw in town said they were asleep not too long ago. After half an hour, the televisions started working and they turned on the news. They concluded it was something in the air and everyone should be cautious of what they do. After the news broadcast, Tidus walked Kairi home hand-in-hand.

"Be careful, alright?" Tidus said once they were half a block from where she lived. "I don't want you to get sick."

Kairi nodded, "Yeah, same goes for you. But I'm scared."

Tidus squeezed her hand gently in assurance, "They'll be more information about it tomorrow." When they got to her front door, he kissed her on the cheek and told her to stay safe. Kairi waved goodbye once he got far enough and went inside.

For the next month, Kairi's days were repetitive. She was either at school, being taught blitzball, or shopping around with Selphie. The incident with everyone falling asleep at the same time never happened again. People were hesitant on going outside and school was cancelled for about a week because of the concern of the school board and everyone else. Kairi and Tidus also grew closer, into more than him being just a comforter. Today was Saturday, and they planned on going out to the island.

"We haven't gone in so long!" Selphie shouted as she ran around on the beach.

"Yeah, we haven't. Now quit the screaming for a while, ya?" Wakka suggested as he started checking if he could still hear. Tidus and Wakka were setting up the boats. Everyone seemed pretty excited about it, but Kairi was hesitant. Something told her not to go there. She was disappointed in herself, they planned the trip a week ago and now she was getting weird feelings about it. She slapped her forehead and looked to the sky.

_Oh please, please don't throw up._ She stopped looking at the sun and pressed on her stomach gently. Tidus walked over to her with a little pout.

"You feeling ok?" He asked concerned. She shook her head and sighed.

"I feel like I'm going to puke," she admitted sadly.

His eyes got wide, "You're not doing this to get out of the trip are you?" He teased.

_Not purposely._ She raised her hands up, "Of course not! I just feel sick all of a sudden." She replied quickly.

"Do you want me to stay with you?"

"No, that's fine! I don't want you to suffer because of me."

"Kairi, you know I don't mind."

"No, really! You go ahead. I know you've been dying to go the past week." She tried to convince. It was true. The best blitzball practices could be done there and he has been talking about the trip all week.

"You two ready?" Wakka called across the dock.

Tidus gave her a bittersweet smile, "You sure you don't want me to stay?"

"I'm sure. Just be careful."

"Hey, I should be saying that to you. I'll see you later," he smiled at her and kissed her forehead quickly. He then ran to where Wakka was and waved goodbye.

Kairi felt her forehead; it tingled where Tidus pressed his lips. The three started to row their boats towards the island and waved one last time at her. She waved back and sighed, turning around when they stopped waving. She felt like a disappointment, but they'd understand, she knew. Kairi just didn't like doing this to them. She pushed it out of her mind and grabbed her water bottle.

She walked into the park and sat on a bench. The view was beautiful here, it was so green and the birds sang gently. Kairi uncapped her water bottle and took a sip. She still felt a little sick, but she could feel it start going away. She leaned her head back and closed her eyes. The birds chirped and the leaves rustled…and footsteps were coming closer. She opened her eyes and looked before her; a man in a black cloak.

She jumped up, "W-who are-"

"Hey! Kairi! You know, Axel." He greeted casually with a wave. He flipped his hood down. Fiery red hair and green eyes with a mark below each eye, he looked…interesting. He stepped closer and she looked for a thick branch to hit him with if he came any closer. "Hey, I'm only here to talk. I'll stay right here," He stated, pointing to the ground beneath him.

Kairi relaxed a little. "Talk about…"

He looked around then looked in her direction, "Your friend." Kairi didn't reply, she needed a further explanation. "The brown-haired one…starts with an 'S'." He hinted.

"Selphie…? What about her?" She questioned. Kairi started looking for a branch again.

"That's who comes to mind?" He asked in a strange tone. It sounded disappointed but glad, if that was even possible. She was confused. Of course that was the only one that came to mind. Axel gave a smile, "I guess its official then."

"What's official?" She asked urgently. He shook his head and opened a dark portal, surprising her. Then a lost memory was found; the night of the storm, Axel was in her room. She stood up and grabbed his arm, "Wait! Tell me please!" She begged.

He sighed and looked into her eyes. Blue eyes searched green ones. "R-O-X-A-S. Got it memorized."

"Roxas…? What's that?"

"That's all I can say." And he disappeared.

Another lost memory? Kairi didn't even know she had those. She ran home, repeating the spelling of Roxas again and again. Once she got to her room she took out a pencil and notepad and wrote Roxas down. She was hoping something would spark but nothing did. She sighed sadly and ripped the written sheet off the rest and stared at it. "Roxas…Roxas…maybe its backwards? Saxor….Saxor. No. None of those are right. What does Roxas mean?" She mumbled to herself as she looked around her room for a dictionary. She felt something was close.

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Review, please?


	21. Chapter 21 Hints

**Sleepless **Chapter 21

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She grabbed a dictionary and looked for the word Roxas, like she thought; it wasn't in there. She threw the dictionary in a random direction and heard a loud thud. _I've better not have broken anything…_ She turned around and saw that it hit her desk. She mumbled at herself and went to pick it up. When she threw it, her drawers opened. She pressed the drawers in from bottom to top, but stopped. In her top drawer was a thalassa shell. _What's that doing here?_ Kairi placed the dictionary on her bed and grabbed the shell. She observed it, nothing out of the ordinary. But she couldn't remember why it was here.

"_It's not mine. I already finished my charm, so I don't know why I would need it."_

The words popped into her head suddenly. _Charm?_ She looked out her window and saw the island where Tidus, Wakka, and Selphie were at right now. Now, something told her to go there. _Not now though._

Kairi sat at her computer chair and started planning as she set the shell down on her computer desk. She'd go to the island tonight, without anyone knowing and come back after an hour or so. She looked at the clock; they should be back in about an hour. Kairi took out a paper and a pencil and wrote _Roxas_ on the top of it. She decided it might need some scrambling. But names she was familiar with didn't have an 'X' in it. _Maybe Axel gave me this to throw me off._ Something told her to try it out, so she did. After five minutes she ripped the paper in half and threw it away. No luck.

She leaned back in her chair and closed her eyes. Kairi leaned on her chair a little too much and ended up tipping the chair over and falling down.

"Kairi! What are you doing?" She heard her mother yell from the kitchen, which was directly beneath her room.

"I just fell out of my chair again!" Kairi yelled back as she rubbed her head and stayed on the floor, not wanting to move. She heard her mother laugh. Kairi turned her head to the left and saw the painting of the castle. The painting held no important meaning to her, but still hung on her wall because her parents wanted her to keep it. She looked away with a sigh and got back up, taking the chair up with her. She looked at the painting again and frowned. Kairi walked to it and touched it gently, it felt like déjà vu. "Riku…" She whispered. She closed her eyes and memories from the storm started coming back to her in pieces. She remembered her hoping Riku could hear her and then her feeling arms around her. _Who was that? I can't remember._ Her eyes shot open at the sound of knocking on her door. Kairi jumped away from the painting, "Yes?" Tidus opened her door and looked at her with a smile on his face. "You're early!" Kairi greeted with surprise.

"Not happy to see me?" He joked with a playful grin.

Kairi caught his tone and ran into his arms and hugged him. "I am happy, just surprised. So why'd you come back so early? Didn't you and Wakka wanna practice for a while?"

He held onto her waist and looked at her, "I felt kind of bad leaving you all alone like that. So I just came back and told Wakka to practice his aiming," He laughed softly at the last statement. Kairi guessed it was an inside joke or some argument between them again.

Kairi pouted and broke away from their embrace, "That's what I didn't want you to do in the first place, Tidus. I wanted you to go have fun," she said with a pout stuck on her face.

He smiled at her and cupped her face in his hands. Kairi smelt the ocean water on him that dried up and blushed once she looked at him. "I am having fun," he whispered with his face close to hers, "being here with you is unbeatable." Kairi's blush deepened and she pushed Tidus away playfully.

"Don't fluster me like that!" She muttered to him while she turned her back to him.

He grinned and wrapped his arms around Kairi's waist, "Fluster?" He chuckled, the word sounded funny to him. "What were you doing while I was gone?" He questioned as he let go of her and sat on her bed.

"I went to the park then came home," She replied, purposely not going into detail.

"You didn't puke yet?" He asked. Tidus scratched the back of his head and yawned softly.

"Nope, the feeling went away once I started drinking some more water," She said with a nod. "I'm sorry I didn't go to the island with you," she apologized.

He shook his head, "That's fine. We'll go another time."

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Review? Thank you very much! :D


	22. Chapter 22 Charm

**Sleepless **Chapter 22

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It was eleven at night and Kairi was getting second thoughts about going out to the island. She gripped the thalassa shell in her jacket pocket tightly as she walked onto the docks. Her boat was there ready to go, in the water. She looked out into the ocean, it looked beautiful but it felt scary at the same time. Kairi quickly got into her boat and untied it. She picked up her paddles and started to row as fast as she could. She always got kind of scared rowing to the island alone in the dark. _Luckily it's a full moon tonight. I just hope no one spots me._ Kairi kept rowing as fast as she could and was on the island within ten minutes. She quickly tied her boat to the docks and jumped on the island. _Now what?_

She walked on the shore and looked at the paopu fruit tree. Her hand grabbed the shell again, _the charm._ Her eyes widened, remembering what the charm looked like instantly.

"Kairi…" A voice called from behind her. She turned around quickly to see nothing around. Her heart pounded in her chest harshly, like it was trying to burst out of her chest. She pressed on her left side of her chest to try and convince it to stay there. She could hear her heartbeat like it was in her ears now.

_It's my lucky charm, be sure to bring it back to me! _The words repeated in her head again and again. She closed her eyes tight as tears escaped them. She was frustrated. All these memories were appearing but they all had gaps in them. She couldn't even guess who was missing from them.

_I looked everywhere for you, but you were with me all along…_ His voice echoed in her mind. "I'm with you, Kairi. C'mon, you can do it!" His voice came from the secret place this time. She gasped and quickly ran into it. It was dark but once she reached the center, the moonlight gave the place its unreal glow. No one was in there that she could see. She bit her bottom lip as she looked at the drawings scribbled on the rocky walls. There were some drawings she was confused about, containing her, Riku and another boy. She wondered if it was Tidus but wasn't sure. She continued her walk and went near the peculiar door at the end of the cave. Kairi didn't dare touch it so she looked around it, catching sight of another drawing.

_A paopu fruit?_ She gripped her shell again as she kneeled towards the sketch of her and a boy feeding each other paopu fruits. Kairi gasped once she felt her heart skip a beat. She stared at the drawing, it didn't _look_ like Tidus.

_It must be you, right?_ She was talking to the voice that compelled her here. _I must have given you my charm, right?_ The voice didn't answer, but she knew how she'd find the answer. She got back up and ran back to the docks. "I know exactly how I'll find out," she told herself with a satisfied smile. Kairi got into her boat and started to row her way back to the main island.

She woke up the next morning excited and ready for the day. Kairi took a quick shower and went to meet the group at the beach. She suggested going to the beach to make up for not going on the trip with them. They greeted her with hugs and casual talk. "Tidus, can I talk to you in private?" Kairi asked as she grabbed his forearm lightly.

Wakka and Selphie whispered loudly to each other, "Ooooo…!" They always did that now that Kairi confessed her and Tidus kissed. Tidus shot Wakka a glance and the orange-haired boy got the message quickly and turned his back on them. Selphie did the same as she giggled and ran towards the water. Wakka followed her, not wanting to get that glance again.

"What do you want to talk about?" He questioned as he wrapped his arm around her shoulders.

"I just wanted to ask if you have any lucky charms," she said simply as she looked up at him. He frowned a little as he went off to his thoughts.

He grinned, "Yeah." Kairi's eyes begged for a better explanation. "You." He said seriously. Kairi tried to fight back laughter on his corny reply but lost the battle. He started laughing with her, "What?" Tidus asked embarrassed.

"You are such a cornball!" She giggled while she hit him on the arm gently.

"Yeah, whatever," He said pretending to be hurt. Tidus grabbed her hand and ran with her to the others.

_So it is you. I'll try my best to remember you, I promise._

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Review? Pretty please? Thank you so, so much!


	23. Chapter 23 Namine

I had to use the Chain of Memories script for this one. :0

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**Sleepless **Chapter 23

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The guilt on Namine's shoulders has been growing and growing the pass month. She always wanted a hero, but she didn't want to take one away from someone. She wanted to tell Sora everything and fix what she has done. And Kairi…how was she? Every once in a while, Namine would plan to pay her a visit, but would always find a reason not to. She was scared they'd find out. No. She _knew_ they'd find out. But the numbers of the organization were falling and Axel always purposefully mentioned Kairi whenever Namine seemed sad. She worried about what they'd do to her and everyone involved. She looked at her sketchbook; the current page was blank. Namine has been dropping Sora hints on how she's not really the one who's special to him. He didn't seem to always catch them though. But she knew she was going to explain everything to him soon.

"Oh, I don't think you should give up just yet. By the way, Naminé. I don't see Marluxia around. Do you?" Axel's voice filled the room before he actually appeared. She straightened her sitting in her chair and looked at him.

She gave him a curious look, "What are you trying to say?"

Axel turned around, "There's no one here to stop you. Do it right." Namine gasped silently and ran out of her chair. Axel smiled at his accomplishment and laughed once she was out of the room.

Sora was on the island where he used to play with Riku and Namine. He already met up with Tidus, Wakka, and Selphie. He was running around the island looking for _her_ now_. _He was glad he was finally remembering.

"Whoa! What's the big rush, Sora?" The silver-haired boy got him in a light headlock and laughed.

"I know you! You're Riku!" Sora shouted enthusiastically. Riku flung him out of the headlock, making Sora stumble his first ten steps.

"Gee…thanks for remembering me. It's been, what, a couple hours?" His friend smiled a little confused.

"Er...never mind. Are you okay? Are you still under his control?" Sora asked while his heart pounded.

"Sora…What are you talking about?" Riku asked concerned. He really believed the brunette has lost his mind. Sora went off to confuse Riku a little more with a few other questions. Their talk was interrupted by a huge earthquake. They decided that Riku would meet up with the others while Sora got to _her_. They ran off in opposite directions and Sora appeared on the little island with the paopu trees on them. The island started breaking apart and he desperately started to look for Namine.

"Namine!" He yelled, then catching sight of her. He ran to her and sighed.

"Sora…you came for me," she said happily. _I'll tell him everything now. _She started to confess everything in hints. "Think, Sora. Think of the person who's most special to you. See that faint glimmer way in the back of your heart? That's a piece of your memory, Sora. Call out to it! No matter how far away the light gets, your heart's voice will always reach it."

Sora looked at Namine desperately and confused, "But I already know who's most special to me. It's you, Na-" He looked down at his paopu fruit charm Namine had given him. It faded into another charm made of thalassa shells. Sora returned his eyes to Namine, her back was turned to him.

_I'll make everything right, I promise._ Namine turned around slowly and allowed the illusion of Kairi there instead of her. Everything faded to white and Sora was sent back to one of the rooms in the castle. He spotted Namine. He knew now.

"Namine..! The girl that is the most special to me…it's not you," He whispered. Namine nodded and took his hand.

"Go to her, for only a short time though." Namine replied as his blue eyes widened.

"Whoa, Kairi! You can be the next best blitzball player!" Tidus shouted as she caught his pass. She pouted; his pass was strong. She was surprised she didn't fall backward.

"No, that's your spot to take!" She shouted back. She threw the ball as hard as she could to Tidus and he caught it simply. She sighed in defeat and fell backwards into the sand purposely. She laid there, looking up at the clouds and blue sky, wondering when her lost memories were to be returned. Kairi didn't tell anyone yet or asked any questions that could give her answers. She didn't mind because she felt fine at the moment. But still…she wanted to know as soon as she could. Tidus, Wakka, and Selphie were arguing about where they could go eat. The sad thing was, they were trying to surprise Kairi. She laughed at their failed attempt. Kairi sat up and was greeted with a spiky haired brunette before her, in a white room.

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This was a seriously deliberate cliffy. Review my lovely readers? :) Thank you!


	24. Chap 24 I Don’t Need Memories Right Now

Hey everyone, I'm going to be on a trip for two days. I just wanted to tell you. So prepare to not have any chapter updates for a few days. But I hope you enjoy chapter 24! I purposely made this a little longer chapter for you readers to make up for my absence. And I hope I can type a longer chapter for the next one. :)

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**Sleepless **Chapter 24

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They looked at each other with wide eyes. They couldn't remember the other's name, but they knew the other was important to them. Kairi started to stand up and Sora eagerly gave her his hand. She took it and smiled at him once she was up. "It's good to see you again!" She giggled. Kairi didn't remember anything about him but she felt it was right to say here.

"So it is you!" He said with a mix of sad and happy eyes. Kairi's mouth opened slightly, wondering how much he knew. But he hugged her tightly like he didn't want to ever let her go again.

"Do you remember?" She whispered in his ear while she held him. Kairi was scared he knew her and she didn't. What kind of reunion would that be? Déjà vu hit her again.

"Not all of it, but I don't need them right now," he replied softly. She looked up at him confused. "This feels right. I may not remember your name but I know I want to be with you. And if there's no other way except this, then that's perfectly fine for now." He reasoned. After his words, she begged herself to remember every detail about him because she couldn't believe she'd forget someone as loveable as him. He moved her red hair out of her eyes and kissed her cheek, "I'll come back to you. I promise." Kairi gazed into his blue eyes and begged him to stay with her. "I need to take care of everything first. But I promise I'll come back." He said reassuringly. He pressed his soft lips against her warm forehead and their embrace was gone.

She was on the beach again. "Kairi! Where'd you go?" Selphie cried as she tackled her friend on the ground.

"No where!" The red-head gasped.

Selphie sat up and gave the victim a death glare, "Kairi, you scared us! Don't you ever do that again! How are we supposed to keep you safe with you going all teleport happy on us?" She scolded as Kairi sat back up.

"I'm sorry. I didn't know I was gone…" she answered a little embarrassed. "So where are we eating?"

Selphie turned quickly to Wakka and Tidus, "Thanks to you guys, she knows where we're going!" She yelled disappointedly.

"I don't know where we're going! I was just asking!" Kairi defended. She stood up and offered Selphie a hand. The brunette generously took it and smiled.

"Then let's go!" Selphie said overjoyed as she held Kairi's hand and started running to where ever she was planning to go.

With millions of thoughts rushing in Kairi's head at once, it was tough keeping up with the conversation they were having on the way to eat.

"So where did you go off to?" Selphie questioned

"Uh-huh," Kairi nodded.

"Kairi?"

"What?" The red-head then looked at Selphie, who was still dragging her along.

"Where'd you go?" Selphie asked again.

Kairi furrowed her eyebrows but then chuckled, "I'm right here." Selphie immediately concluded that she tackled Kairi too hard and was hit by guilt. "No, that's not it, Selph! I'm just so out of it right now," Kairi said with another chuckle. They stopped by a fast-food place, one that Kairi has been craving for the pass few days after seeing the commercial for it on the television. "Aww!" Kairi said while she eyed Tidus, who was with her at the time when she announced her craving. He smiled at her and right then, it sent shivers down her spine.

_This is wrong._

She looked at the menu and remembered the spiky brunette. Him and Tidus, this was awful. She told Tidus before, she didn't want to break his heart. She was starting to without him knowing, but she has to tell him soon. If not, she'll break apart. Kairi kept a smile on her face as they ate their late lunch. Conversation about school were passed around and the old question of were Kairi ran off to. Like answered before, she didn't know she was gone. Tidus looked at her from across the table and mouthed secretively, 'We need to talk'.

_Oh boy…_ She nodded to him and took a sip of her Coke. Everyone was almost done with their food, which surprised Kairi since they were talking so much. "What?" Kairi whispered as she leaned towards him.

"Not now," he said softly. He took a bite of his burger then and looked at Selphie and Wakka, who were wondering aloud if they should get some more food.

"What is it about?" Kairi questioned, with her voice still in a whisper. Tidus hesitantly looked at her and reached for her hand on the table. She didn't object but felt a little pained once his hand tightened around hers.

"Are you alright?" The question he always asked that meant more than it had on the surface. Her eyes wandered down to their grasp. She tightened her grip a little and looked back at him.

"I'm a little scared to answer this time," Kairi muttered. Tidus looked hurt at her but rubbed her held hand softly with his thumb. She regretted saying it, it felt like he knew. _Does he know?_

"Something's wrong, Kai," he stated as gently as he could. Kairi smiled weakly at him and he understood, "We'll talk whenever you want, don't stress about it."

She feared the confession. Would he think she was crazy? Kairi decided she didn't care about that and only cared that she told him. It was for the best for both her and Tidus. Her hand started to crawl away from his slowly.

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Review? Thank you so much!


	25. Chapter 25 I'm So Sorry

Sorry! I had a quick writer's block on this chapter but once I got an idea, words start pouring out so it's fine now. x)

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**Sleepless **Chapter 25

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He retreated his hand away once he noticed she didn't want it. Tidus looked away quickly and purposely didn't make eye contact with Kairi. He knew something was wrong. Countless thoughts raced through his head and he wasn't sure about a single one. He took his last bite of his burger and brought up a conversation with Wakka about blitzball tryouts at school.

_He's ignoring me…_ Kairi felt hurt. Tidus was too kind to ignore her like this though, wasn't he? She felt so selfish.

_Of course he would do this to me. He's been there for everything I asked and what's my repayment to him? Nothing really. I only use Tidus for my selfish benefit. No…please don't be true. That's a lie. Tidus __**wants**__ to be with me. He said it himself; he'd be fine as just friends. But, that was before we kissed, before I was reunited with the boy I don't recognize, before I fell in love with Tidus._

Her eyes widened at her last thought. In love? She bit her bottom lip to keep in the tears that threatened to appear.

_I know I have feelings for…the boy I've forgotten, though I'm not entirely sure how strong they are. But I know for a fact that I…love Tidus._

Should she stay with who she was absolutely positive with or take a chance? Her eyebrows furrowed and looked down at her half-eaten French fries. She wasn't that hungry any more. Kairi sighed out loud, making Selphie turn to her.

"You alright, Kai?" Selphie mumbled while she drank her soda. Kairi turned to her friend and smiled.

"I'm just not hungry anymore." She replied with a smile.

"Oo! Do you mind if I have your fries then?" Selphie questioned with a huge grin on her face. Kairi shook her head and pushed them to the brunette. "Thanks!" Selphie eyed Tidus secretively and then leaned her head towards Kairi's ear. "Are you and Tidus fighting?" she whispered carefully to the red-head.

Kairi turned to face her caring friend and gave a weak smile. She leaned into Selphie's ear, "A little. But please don't say anything," Kairi moved her head away and grabbed her cup. Selphie nodded at her friend's request and made the motion of her zipping up her lips.

Kairi turned to her drink, catching Tidus's eyes for a second, but he quickly looked away. _Maybe I should leave…_ Kairi could feel the tension in the air. She sighed again, "I'm going home, I'll see you later!" She said while she got out of her chair and walked quickly out of the food stop. Kairi rubbed her temples gently as she walked away from them. Everything was falling apart; she knew Tidus was already suspicious of her, anyone could tell that something was wrong. She walked into the park out of habit and walked on the trail. After a long distance in, she sat down on a bench and curled up into a ball. Her eyelids hung tiredly, looking at the green ground. She didn't want to think right now, Kairi only listened to the birds sing and leaves rustle in the breeze. In this problematic world of hers, things started to seem peaceful here. Kairi shut her eyes gently to get the full effect of it, the feeling put a smile to her lips. She fell into a light sleep. After some time, she felt the bench move slightly downward after a minute, so she opened her eyes reluctantly. Kairi turned and saw Namine sitting beside her. She jumped a little, making Namine laugh gently.

"I didn't mean to scare you, Kairi," The blonde smiled. Her voice seemed to float through the air like a bird's song.

The red-head laughed it off and nodded, "Sorry about that."

Namine shook her head and looked up to the sky. It looked like it was going to rain soon, which caught Kairi's attention because it was sunny a few minutes ago. "I'm sorry, Kairi."

Kairi looked at her curiously and asked, "What do you mean?" The blonde shook her head again. It was silent for a few seconds.

"I just wanted to say sorry," Namine whispered. Kairi's cell phone rang then, and she looked down at her waist, where it was clipped to, reluctantly. It said it was Tidus. Kairi gazed up and Namine was gone. Kairi's mouth hung open slightly as she stood up and looked around; no one was in sight. Kairi turned back to her phone and answered it.

"Hello?" Kairi mumbled, still looking to see where Namine went.

"Kairi? Where are you? I've been looking everywhere for you!" He nearly shouted, but his voice was filled with concern. It sent shivers down Kairi to hear him like this.

"How long was I gone?" She asked gently, not wanting to concern him even more.

She heard him breathe a tired sigh, "Like two hours," Kairi's eyes widened and ripped her phone from her ear and checked the time. It was four in the afternoon. "Kairi!" she heard his distant voice from the ear piece. She put her phone to her ear again.

"I had no idea I was out so long," she replied carefully. She heard soft thunder from behind her and the sky started to darken immensely.

"Kairi…can you tell me where you are?" Tidus asked gently now.

"I'm at the park…I…um, don't remember which entrance I went into though," she replied desperately. She tried to recognize her surroundings but nothing seemed familiar to her. Kairi started to walk on the trail, knowing she'll get out sometime if she followed it.

She heard him curse under his breath and sigh again, "Alright, do you remember anything that might help me find you?"

"Well, I'm on a trail. Oh! I entered the one closest to the place we ate at!" Kairi managed to remember.

"We barely enter on that side!" Tidus mumbled in disbelief.

"I'm sorry, I was just so…" she didn't want to finish her statement. She _couldn't _finish her statement. It was silent for a few seconds; he clearly wanted to know how she was feeling. "Nevermind…" she whispered, looking up at the sky as she continued to walk.

"Kairi, I-" The red-head tripped over a protruding root and fell on hands and knees. She whimpered and rolled on her butt to examine the damage. She noticed some blood trickling down her knees and her hands were red. "Kairi? What happened?" her phone called.

She picked her up her phone, which was about two feet away, without getting up and put it to her ear again. "I tripped," to her surprise, she sounded really hurt.

"Can you get up?" She heard him start running now.

"Hold on, let me try," she whispered while she used a nearby tree to support her. Kairi was able to get up, "Yeah, I'm up." She notified.

"Ok, stay where you are," He ordered. She heard him still running. Rain started to fall, making the ground start to get muddy. Kairi didn't want to hold herself up any longer so she fell back down to the ground, not caring if she got messy. "Did you just fall again?" Tidus questioned with a chuckle.

"Nah, I did it on purpose," she smiled. The rain continued to fall, starting to get her soaked. The blood on her knees started to be washed away and her red hair stuck to her face and neck. She decided to grow her hair out, like Tidus suggested. She smiled at his name. She missed him. A lot. "Tidus…I'm so sorry," She whispered gently.

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Review? :) Thanks for reading!


	26. Chapter 26 I Love You

Chapter 26 – I Love You

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Her knees ached and her heart pounded roughly as the rain started to fall harsher. "Tidus…" she whispered, wondering if her weak voice pulled through.

"Y-yeah. I'm still here," He replied, though his voice was muffled by the screaming thunder. "Hold on, I think I see you." He informed. Kairi looked to her left and saw Tidus through the scattered trees. He ran off the trail and around the many trees that blocked his way. Kairi hung up her phone and put it into its holder. She pressed her weight onto the tree she sat near and started to stand back up. Her knees still ached from the fall but she tried her best to stay up.

Tidus appeared out of the trees and ran to her, "Kairi!" he said, by his voice she could tell she looked like a mess. Once he got close enough, Kairi allowed herself to fall into him. Out of habit, he held her close. "Don't scare me like this ever again," He whispered into her ear firmly. Kairi wrapped her arms around him tightly and looked up at him, his eyes were glossed with held back tears. Her large, blue eyes looked sadly at him; she'd never seen him cry except when they were little. He looked so fragile to her now, like if she said anything bad he'd break. _Like how I used to be._

"I'm sorry…I didn't mean to…" Kairi replied in little above a whisper. She felt his embrace tighten, pulling her closer to him. She pressed her cheek to his chest, not able to look at him any longer.

"C'mon, let me get you home," He stated while he pulled away the embrace, but still kept strong arms to support Kairi's standing. She mumbled in agreement and he got her in his arms bridal style swiftly. He started walking, making Kairi a little nervous, but Tidus seemed unchanged. He chuckled a little, "Where'd you fall?"

She looked up at him, his eyes looked less glossy. "Um, back there," she responded as she gripped his shirt for a little more reassurance of his feelings. She didn't know how he felt, it just seemed like he was all over the place. "Tidus…"

"Yeah!" He smiled as he started walking as fast as he could.

_I love you._

"I…I just wanted to say…I thank you," Kairi muttered. She mentally smacked herself on the forehead. _Idiot…_

Tidus laughed gently and nodded, "It's no problem, as long as you never do it again," He smiled, though it seemed a little pained.

She was hesitant to reply, "Well, I can't promise anything because I really didn't mean to, Tidus! Honest!" She said trying to reassure him that she'd never purposely do that. "And I'm sorry about lunch!" She wanted everything off her chest before she got home.

"Do you mind on not moving? It's hard enough carrying you with this storm going on," he smirked at her. To her surprise, she was moving around a lot before he said anything.

"Sorry-"

"Enough of the apologies, Kai, its fine," he assured while he moved his hands to get a stronger grip on her. He looked at the trail before him, looking for the safest route even if it took longer. Kairi gazed up at him and pouted slightly. "Don't give me that look. Forget about it," he smiled. She jolted a bit, wondering how he saw her. Her expression turned neutral then and laid her head on his chest silently.

The storm's harshness increased as Tidus continued to trek out of the forest. Both teens were soaked and Kairi could tell it was harder for him to walk from all the mud around. "Tidus, you wanna take a break?" She asked gently while her vision focused on him.

He shook his head, "I don't think I can."

"It'll have to die out sometime right? We can just go under a roof where the picnic tables are!"

"There are no picnic tables around," he sighed. By the tone of his voice, it sounded like he already thought of it. She could tell he was beginning to get tired. The storm was no help either, but he continued to walk out of the park, not knowing when they'll get out.

"I don't want you to stress yourself, you know?" Kairi pouted as the rain fell onto her face harshly, making her suck her bottom lip in quickly. She dug her face into Tidus's chest once more. Kairi found herself dangerously sleepy suddenly.

Tidus smiled at her words and nodded, "Maybe we can rest for a little bit…I see a bridge up ahead." He informed. Kairi turned to look in front of them, squinting her eyes to prepare for the rough rain in her face, but it never came. Tidus curled his back just enough to cover her. She smiled sweetly to herself and saw the bridge was there. "We're going to stay underneath it for a while, you alright with that?" He asked gently between the thunder.

"Sounds fine to me!" Kairi agreed, not thinking of any other way. He picked up his pace a little more and carefully walked down the decreasing elevation. The bridge was made of concrete and stone, which should easily provide for shelter. Several times, Kairi found herself gasping because she felt Tidus misstep. Once they were out of the rain, Tidus set her to lean on the ground gently. Tidus sat beside her tiredly.

"How are you feeling?" He asked while he looked at her scratched knees then her eyes. Kairi also took a look at them, they were still red and she could see little cuts on them. She turned back to Tidus and gave a weak smile.

"Alright," She muttered while her eyes started to drop close but she strained them open. Tidus nodded and took her around her waist and leaned back with her. She laid down near him, her face on his chest and his arm around her protectively.

He exhaled softly as the thunder roared through the air loudly. She looked up at him and smiled to get his attention. Tidus looked down at her and returned it. "What?" He asked playfully.

Kairi climbed up so her head was above his. His eyes widened and blushed as soon as she was that close. _I have to say this now._ "Tidus…"

"Kairi…I don't know if we should-"

Her lips just barely touched his in caution, wondering if it was safe to keep going. Tidus didn't seem to object so she deepened the kiss gently, not wanting to overstep too much. His arms wrapped around her loosely, almost as cautious as her. She broke their kiss and looked into his blue eyes that were staring straight into hers.

"I love you."

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Review? ;) Thank you!


	27. Chapter 27 Smile

Enjoy!

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**Sleepless **Chapter 27

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"I love you."

The words weren't hers. She stared at him with widened eyes and her mouth hung slightly open in surprise. "W-what?" She questioned in disbelief. Kairi raised herself a little higher to get a greater look at him. Tidus turned his head, smashing his right cheek in the ground to not make eye contact with her. She felt him inhale sharply, waiting for the worse. Kairi's thin eyebrows furrowed together in light frustration, but then she smiled. "I…love you too, Tidus," She said with a sweet smile. Tidus turned to her immediately and gazed at her like she was crazy. "What?" Kairi giggled. She tilted her head to the side and nodded in assurance.

_It's true. I'm being honest._

Tidus's eyes softened and smiled back at her. It felt good to tell someone you love them, but it felt even better knowing they returned the amazing feeling. He took her face into his hands, making her smile even more. She relaxed and allowed her body to lay on his tiredly.

They both seemed so tired, though the loud thunder and striking lightening tried to keep them awake. Kairi rolled to Tidus's side, making him let go of her face, and kept her head glued to his chest. She heard his heartbeat, over the screaming thunder, like a gentle lullaby. His arm wrapped around her once more to warm her the best he could. Their eyelids felt heavy but their hearts were light as they closed their eyes for sleep.

The crickets chirped and the moonlight glistened on the river. Tidus opened his eyes slowly and looked down to see Kairi safely kept in his arms. He smiled at her sleeping expression and carefully got his phone out of his pants pocket. He flipped it open, away from Kairi so the sudden light wouldn't wake her, and looked at the clock. It was ten at night. He also noticed twelve missed calls and thirty texts from friends and family asking where he was. He looked down at Kairi again and back to the phone. He quickly texted he and Kairi were fine and he'd fill them in later. Tidus put his phone on silent, in case it was to ring again and stuffed it back into his pocket.

His and Kairi's hair were frizzed and messy due to the dried rain that was on them. He combed through her hair gently with his fingers and smiled. He wanted to jump up and down with joy, and he would if Kairi weren't laying on him. He was happy. Kairi returned his feelings he had for her. After all the years of having the most obvious crush on her, they were finally together. His mind seemed to reach far away to the memories; of giving her candy and flowers on Valentine's Day, trying his best to impress her with blitzball, attending each other's birthday parties and everything that happened since she came into his life.

He remembered when she washed up on shore at the island that day. The day of her arrival still made him wonder, but he didn't care for a complex answer. All that mattered was that she was here… with him. A smile crawled upon his face again. It was an unintentional smile that left him slightly surprised. But he quickly dismissed his thoughts; he needed to get Kairi home.

Tidus carefully picked her up in his arms and headed for the trail. Once he got there, it was barely better than off the trail. It was so dark he could hardly see anything. He cursed under his breath and continued anyway. He didn't want to trip so he went slowly and carefully. At this rate, he'd be able to drop off Kairi in thirty minutes. He sighed quietly; he didn't want to walk that long in here. Unknown noises were heard from everywhere, he reasoned it was just the animals like bugs and birds but sometimes fear got to him. Tidus picked up his pace a bit more, with his heartbeat the loudest thing that was present.

Kairi was half asleep as Tidus carried her out of the park, she didn't grasp what was happening at the moment so she was blind to fear. She heard his nearby heartbeat as memories started to rewind themselves in front of her closed eyes. Memories of the last thing she remembered to the day she jumped after her paddle into the cold ocean. Then it stopped and started to play.

She was searching in the darkness of the ocean. _Searching for what?_ She couldn't remember, but she kept swimming deeper and deeper into the unknown. _I need to keep looking. It __**has**__ to be here somewhere!_A white spark passed right before her face and swam quickly to her right. "Wait!" she called as air bubbles flew out of her mouth. She instinctively covered her mouth with both hands and started to panic. But then she let her hands fall to her sides once more. She hesitantly inhaled and confirmed her unreal thought. She was breathing under water.

The spark floated in the dark water, a few yards ahead of her, waiting for her. Kairi swam to it slowly, making sure she didn't frighten it. The white glow stayed still even when Kairi cupped it into her hands. It was a white, glowing sphere the size of a small marble. It floated there, still waiting. "What do you want me to do?" she whispered softly. Small air bubbles flew out of her mouth until no more came.

Kairi looked around slowly, only seeing darkness around her. She turned back to the spark, it floated nearer to her. It got larger, to the size near a tennis ball, then it speed into her, leaving Kairi shocked. She turned around slowly, suddenly feeling weak and the spark was gone. Her eyelids grew heavy as she started to sink.

The teenaged girl bolted up and hit her head.

"Aaahh! Geez! Fffffu...!" The blonde groaned, not wanting to curse at the moment. He still held on to her as she rubbed her head with a physically pained expression. "Bad dream?" He asked, also looking pained.

"Yeah, I'm so sorry," she whispered as she started rubbing the side of his head (where she hit him) for him since his hands were occupied.

Tidus shook his head, "Nah, it's ok. Thanks." He smiled weakly, eyeing her massage.

Kairi continued to rub his forehead gently and looked around, "What time is it?" She asked, turning back to him.

"Last time I checked it was ten. I'm fine now, Kai," He replied as his eyes sparked, seeing the park's exit. The red-head slung her arm around Tidus's neck and looked at the exit with a smile. Finally she'd be home, to a shower and her comfy bed.

"Oh! Tidus, you can put me down now. I'm sure I can walk now, " she assured with a small giggle. Tidus blushed, lucky for him the darkness hid it well, and let her down carefully, incase she were to fall. Kairi stood on her own two feet and smiled up at him. "See? I'm perfectly fine," she said with a nod.

"Just tell me if you feel a like you're gonna fall, alright?" He said, wanting to make sure she'll be ok.

"You'll catch me?" She questioned as she slipped her hand into his. He nodded as they continued their way out of the park. Kairi's lips formed a light smile. Tidus gave her security and she liked it. She liked feeling safe in some way. Her other hand moved across her body to hold onto his hand.

Tidus looked at her with his heart racing and then ahead once more, they were out of the park. "Kairi…" He whispered softly. She squeezed his hand in response. He cleared his throat a little and exhaled. They would arrive at Kairi's house in a few minutes. "What you said…under the bridge…is it true? It's not that I don't believe you, it's just kind of surprising." He asked gently.

_Under the bridge, where we told each other our feelings._ Kairi looked at him, "Of course I meant it," She let go of his hand and walked in the way of their walk. He stopped and looked her straight in the eyes. "I really do love you, Tidus," She said eagerly. Her heart felt like it was going to beat out of her chest at the rate it was going. She has never told anyone she loved them in this way. It was special. It was amazing.

Tidus's eyes looked innocently at her, reminding Kairi of a child, and brought her close to him. They wrapped each other in their arms and looked at each other, smiling like nothing else mattered. Their lips met and they shared an innocent kiss, any other kind would have ruined their feeling. They chuckled at each other softly and let go of their embrace. They held hands as he walked her the rest of the way to her house.

They stopped on her porch, hesitant to leave one another. "Come by here at noon?" Kairi asked with a smile momentarily permanent on her face.

"Of course," he nodded with a smile on his face too. Kairi quietly played with her keys in her hand and stared at him, waiting. He reached his right hand to her face and caressed her cheek. The blonde leaned towards her and kissed her goodbye.

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I am just terrible at describe kisses, aren't I? XD But review anyways, please? Thanks for reading!


	28. Chapter 28 Destiny

Sorry for the slight wait. But get ready for longer delays since my school starts very very soon! Sorry!

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**Sleepless **Chapter 28

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Kairi laid in her bed after her warm shower and stared at her ceiling. Her heart felt like it was about to fly out of her chest and she hasn't stopped smiling. She laughed at herself as she turned on her stomach and pressed her right cheek to her pillow. The painting of the castle stared at her for only a second, before Kairi closed her eyes to get some sleep.

"Kairi! Kairi! Open your eyes!" A voice called worriedly as something started shaking her. She tried to do what was told, but her eyelids felt like they were glued shut. She tried to give a voiced reply, but she couldn't move at all. She heard someone else's voice, but their words were incomprehensible to her, like her ears were underwater. The person that held her, put her back down carefully. "What?" He asked in confusion. Kairi found his voice familiar. "You! You're not Ri-" _It's him! The boy!_

Her eyes opened quickly as she sat up and turned to where she heard his voice. He and the other he was talking to was gone. And she was alone in this strangely familiar place. She got to her feet and caught sight of the huge heart-like shape to her left. She faced is and gazed at the colors within. "What is this?" She mumbled to herself. A force repelled her from the heart structure, so she took steps back.

"Kairi!" A voice came from behind her.

She turned towards it quickly. "Tidus!" She yelled happily. Kairi jumped off the platform and ran straight into his arms. She wrapped her arms around him gently, "I'm glad you're here! I was starting to get-" She picked her head up once she noticed he didn't hug her back and saw Tidus look sadly into her eyes. The red-head felt so empty and hurt at that moment. She discovered light pink rims around his eyes; He's been crying. "Tidus…what's-"

He shook his head and she kept her mouth closed. "Do you really love me?" He asked with his voice soft. Her eyes widened and she could feel herself on the verge of tears.

"Tidus…" She whispered. He started to fade away quickly. "Tidus…I," she stopped. She saw someone through him. Tidus turned to see who it was and groaned softly. It was _him_. Tidus looked back at Kairi and disappeared completely. "Wait!" Kairi yelled, but she was too late. Kairi looked at the boy who stared back at her. His blue eyes looked at her, questioningly. Her mouth hung open as she whispered, "You're…"

"Sora," He replied with a smile. The brunette walked until he was half an arms length to her. Kairi's eyes immediately fled to the floor.

_What about Tidus? Where was he?_

"Kairi…you okay?" Sora asked with the goofy smile on his face. She looked up at him and smiled back, it was almost impossible not to. "I'm glad you're alright." He whispered as he wrapped his arms around her. Kairi's eyes widened but found her arms holding on to him too.

_No. I can't do this to Tidus._ The image of him and his red-rimmed eyes made tears roll down her cheeks. _I don't want this._

Her dream altered and she was suddenly leaning on the paopu tree, looking at the sunset. She held a paopu fruit and looked caringly at it for a moment. This was going to be a special paopu fruit. Kairi heard footsteps behind her so she turned around and saw Tidus arrive with a smile on his face.

"What did you want to tell me, Kai?" He asked as he walked towards her. He stopped immediately once he saw the paopu fruit. He returned his eyes to hers after a few seconds.

She held the fruit carefully with both hands and stood close in front of him. "The legend of the paopu fruit…Would you…like to share it with me?" Kairi asked while her blue eyes looked shyly at him. A blush spread across both of the teens' faces.

"Kairi…I don't know what to say," he chuckled as he cupped her face into his hands. They smiled at each other and he kissed her lightly. She felt a shock once their lips met, and it screamed that this was perfect. He leaned his forehead on hers with a fool's grin on his face, "But…I'll intertwine my destiny with yours any day," he whispered. Kairi's heart pounded excitedly in her chest as he let go of her face to grab their paopu fruit. He looked at her as the sunset colors shined on his face. "I love you," He said in a gentle whisper.

The boy she was about to share her destiny with flashed between Tidus and Sora. Their faces faded in and out of each other's. _Choose._ She had to choose. But this wasn't fair, was it? All her memories still didn't return and she had to make this decision. "No…I won't do it!" Kairi yelled. The figure before her stayed in the image of Tidus and he turned away from her, dropping their destiny that was to be unfulfilled. "Tidus…" she mumbled as her hand reached for him pathetically. He kept walking away from her and she stayed still. He vanished from her sight and she was in a black space.

Kairi fell to the floor and the paopu fruit sat before her like it was dying. Much like her heart, it was dying slow and painfully. Or maybe it was already dead. Her right hand shook as she reached for it, and just like Tidus and Sora, it disappeared.

Kairi woke up in a cold sweat and saw that it was already morning. She rubbed the sleep out of her eyes as she stepped out of bed. She couldn't remember her dream but she knew that it hurt. She still felt the pain in her chest. Kairi quickly ran a brush through her red hair and threw on a pink skirt and a white tank top. She rushed into the kitchen and saw no one there, which surprised her a little.

_Oh. Right._ Kairi noticed the time then, it was only five. She frowned a bit as she got out a bowl and spoon. Her stomach was already growling. _Probably since I didn't eat dinner yesterday._ She grabbed her favorite cereal from the pantry and poured some in her bowl.

After fifteen minutes, she already brushed her teeth and was in her flip-flops. She wrote a note to her parents in case they woke up before she came back. She left the note on the table and quietly walked outside. Kairi's mission was to sneak into Tidus's house.

Once she got to his house, she looked at his window, which was left open. _This would be just like old times._ She quietly climbed onto the fence, then got on the roof. The red-head came through his window and found him still in bed, his back facing her. She gently put her feet on his carpet and walked towards him. He rolled over to face her and both of the teens' eyes widened in surprise. Kairi stumbled backwards onto her butt and Tidus chuckled at her.

"What are you doing here?" He asked as he sat up. He was about to help her up, but she shook her head and got to her feet. Kairi jumped onto his bed and cuddled up to him. He wrapped his arms around her in reply, but stopped. "Give me one sec," He said hurriedly as he jumped out of bed and ran to his bathroom. Kairi heard his sink go on and the sound of the toothbrush hitting the sink twice.

She giggled to herself and looked around his room, seeing posters of blitzball and a few family pictures. She then caught sight of his organized dry-erase board, showing upcoming dates for blitzball games at school to birthdays. Photos were taped to the border, making Kairi lean towards it to get a closer look. There were family and friend photos, but one with her caught her eye. It was with her, Tidus, Selphie, Wakka and Riku. But the way the picture was taken, was off. There was a gap in the center, like someone was missing…

Tidus jumped back onto his bed and hugged her from behind. "What's up?" He asked while he set his chin lightly on her shoulder.

Kairi could smell his mint toothpaste and she giggled. "I'm just looking at your pictures," she replied while she turned her head to kiss his cheek. He picked his head off her and stepped off the bed again.

"So what are you doing here?" He asked as he went towards his closed door. He was thinking of locking it, in case his dad woke up, but realized that would probably get him in more trouble. Kairi patted his bed to make him sit beside her before she replied. Tidus did what she wanted and held her hand in assurance. He could feel her nervousness. She looked into his eyes and smiled weakly, wondering how to word what she wanted to say correctly.

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Review? :3 Thank you!


	29. Chapter 29 Taste

I am so, so, so sorry for the wait. My school has started up and that takes away some of my writing time. But I am not planning to stop writing, in case any of you were worried. And if you read my other Fanfic "Am I Really Just A Remnant?", I am not quitting on that either. I've just been busy. Thank you so much for your patience!

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**Sleepless **Chapter 29

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"I'm sorry I turned up so unexpected…and so early," Kairi said with an embarrassed smile. The digital clock flashed to 5:24. She set her head on his shoulder, "You know the dance…" she began while her fingers started to interlock with his.

Tidus let out an "hmm" as he turned his head slightly to look at his dry-erase board. "Oh, the one next month?" He asked in a wondering tone. Kairi picked her head up then and nodded. "What about it?" Tidus questioned with a smile on his face, the smile came instantly. He thought he knew what was coming; his first dance with Kairi.

"Who is going to be on your arm that night?" Kairi frowned in uncertainty, hurting Tidus a bit. He immediately looked away and started to sulk to himself shortly. He couldn't believe it. She wasn't confident in him yet? "I don't mean to sound like I don't trust you…I just," She paused with a sigh and started again, "you know…with your reputation…"

"What reputation?" Tidus snapped as he faced her once more. He didn't need to ask. He knew. She knew. Everyone knew his reputation. Girls. Tidus always had a thing with girls, except Kairi of course, she used to always be oblivious and didn't pay very close attention to him. She always paid close attention to Riku and… who else was there? Riku. He was also one of the guys that girls loved to be around, especially Kairi. Tidus remembered Kairi and Riku would hang out every chance they got. Anger rose in Tidus's body, but he stopped. He couldn't be bitter towards Riku. Riku was a close buddy and the boy still didn't return home from wherever he was.

But back to the girls. Tidus shook his head lightly, he wanted that reputation gone. So many girlfriends but not one was as perfect as the one he had now. However bad that sounded, he didn't care at the moment. He knew it was the truth. He wanted change. He _has_ changed, but only a little. He squeezed her hand that was in his and wrapped his free arm around her. He looked into her eyes in silence and smiled, "Whoever is on my arm right…now."

Kairi blushed and hit his chest playfully. "You're so cheesy!" She giggled and quickly kissed his cheek. She jumped out of his arms and started walking to his window, like she was about to go. But Tidus grabbed her hand once he stood up, and tugged her back against his chest.

"What? You don't want to go with me?" He pouted, pretending to be hurt, because he knew that's all she wanted.

Kairi spun to face him and interlaced her fingers with his. She smiled gently at him, "Just remember that I love you," she chimed and he pulled her into a hug. She giggled slightly, "I should get going…I don't know when my parents are suppose to wake up."

Tidus reluctantly let her go and kissed her forehead. "Promise." He whispered in her ear. She nodded and started to crawl out his window.

Kairi was already out on his roof, "Wait, promise what?" Kairi questioned while she poked her head back in. The word "promise" tasted terrible on her tongue. It tasted like it warned her not to say it again, so she noted that to herself.

"Promise, I'll remember," He smiled sweetly. Even with messy hair, boxers and a sleep shirt he was still adorable. But the words he said with a smile and his appearance looked and sounded terrible together. She couldn't put her finger on it. The promise taste appeared again, but this time it appeared in the back of her throat and it didn't go away as quickly as last time.

Kairi nodded with a smile, "See ya later," she assured and ducked her head back out. She carefully climbed off the roof, with Tidus looking out the window to make sure she got to the ground safely. She waved quickly to him and ran in the direction of her home.

As she ran the short distance, her throat felt damaged and stressed. It even felt hard to breathe sometimes. She slowed down once she reached her front lawn and walked inside and quietly locked the door behind her. She heard and saw no signs of her parents awake as she massaged her neck to try and relieve some of the pain. She slipped off her slippers and ambled to the kitchen to grab her note that was left unread.

Kairi tiptoed up the stairs and into her room, closing the door softly behind her. She tried clearing her throat, but that made the pain increase. Her eyebrows furrowed together in frustration and jumped on her bed. Kairi stared at her ceiling while her hands crumpled the note absentmindedly. Looking at the trash bin, she shot the crumpled paper towards it.

_Miss._

She didn't bother going up to place it in the trash right now. The taste in her mouth became weaker, but the pain was still there as she swallowed down the spit in her mouth. She was wide awake, to her dismay. The red-head wanted to sleep through the pain, at least for a few more hours. But she couldn't, sleep didn't want her.

Kairi stepped onto her floor and out of her room. She hoped a drink would ease the tension in her throat. Her footsteps to the refrigerator was barely audible and it's clean surface reflected softly with the too-early sunlight. Her hands opened the door in one movement and she grabbed some water. She stood back and let the door swing close while she opened the water bottle.

It was quiet in the house and she sighed, but she regretted it the moment she did. The simple reaction even hurt, so she took a long drink of the water. The taste and pain started to subside instantly. She chugged down half the bottle before she even got to her room again. The bed didn't welcome her, so she didn't walk towards it. Instead, she set her bottle on her computer desk and turned it on. Kairi started to get clean clothes ready as the computer loaded up.

She started humming a random song, glad the pain was gone, while she set her clean clothes on her bathroom counter. By the time she was done, her computer greeted her with a black desktop. She frowned, not remembering that she set her desktop to a solid black color. She could have promised it was a picture…

Kairi double-clicked her Documents and browsed through her pictures for a new background. She wanted the one she had before, but what was it? She couldn't remember, but she knew her eyes longed to see it.

A face…

She wanted to see a forgotten face…

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Thanks for reading! -gives you a cookie- Review? :D


	30. Chapter 30 Unconscious Connections

Wow, wow, wow. I haven't posted a chapter up in a long time and I'm very sorry for that. I'm hoping to start writing more now that I have a laptop, wish me luck on that? But I hope you enjoy! Sorry for keeping you waiting!

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**Sleepless **Chapter 30

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Kairi bit her tongue in frustration for a short time as she stared at her computer screen. She was upset that she couldn't find the picture, and what's awful about it is that she couldn't even remember who was in it! She sighed heavily and quickly clicked a random picture. It maximized on her screen and showed her a familiar picture. It was the picture she saw on Tidus's dry erase board; Her, Tidus, Selphie, Wakka and Riku were in the picture, smiling at the beach. The center of the picture, where no one awkwardly stood was there, and it left her confused.

Kairi placed her right index finger on the arrow keys and hit the one that went right. It was just like the last, but everyone was making silly faces. There was still no one in the middle. She stabbed the right key again, no one in the center. She hit it again and stopped, her eyes turned wide. Her computer screen showed Riku and her, with arms wrapped around…nothing. Their pose looked like they slung their arms around one person, but that person wasn't there. A look of disbelief crossed her face for a second. She immediately closed the picture viewing window and everything until she was at her black desktop. Kairi didn't know what to do. But she shook her head and went into her bathroom and locked it to take a shower.

Her hands shook by themselves as she stared at herself in the mirror; Fear and disbelief consumed her innocent face. Her eyes didn't focus on anything as her trembling fingers peeled off her clothing. Without her noticing, her hands turned on the shower, hoping to escape the questions that made her feel so out of it.

But even as she washed her hair, not thinking about anything, the strange images of the photos broke through her defenses. She closed her eyes tightly to get the image away, but it faded from the black and taunted her…haunting her.

Kairi emerged from her bathroom, with her hair still wet and tangled. She was now more aware of her surroundings than before. She sat down at her computer and moved her mouse around slightly to wake up the monitor. _Don't worry about it, Kai. These things don't happen. They can't happen. Maybe I changed my desktop and I don't remember. Yeah, that's it._

The black desktop screen laughed evilly at her, like a bully. But she ignored it and clicked to sign into her instant messenger. Her eyes darted to the time. _Way too early._ She hovered her cursor over the "X" before it fully loaded up. Kairi stopped the click instantly once she saw Tidus's name glow bold. He was online so she quickly started a conversation, asking if he was there and what he was doing.

After twenty seconds he replied, _"I was actually waiting for you to get on… You kinda woke me up."_

"_I'm sorry!"_

"_No problem! Hey, mind if I call you?"_

"_Go ahead!"_

"_Alright. Talk to you soon. Bye."_

_Tidus has signed off._

Kairi immediately shut down her computer and grabbed her cell phone just as it vibrated to ring. "Hi!" She greeted enthusiastically. A smile quickly caught her face.

She heard him chuckle, "I miss you too," his voice made her smile widen, "What are we gonna do today?" He asked. Maybe he was smiling too, it sounded like it.

"Hm…not sure. What do Selphie and Wakka have planned?" she giggled while she pressed her hand against the window. The window gave her the view of the light colors of the morning and also part of Tidus's house.

"Well…" he trailed off purposely.

"You already have something planned?"

"Yeah, kinda. You're coming with us though."

Kairi furrowed her eyebrows as she asked, "Where?"

"Just meet me outside your house in…" She heard him turn his head away for a few seconds, "thirty minutes."

"Where, Tidus?"

"Trust me, it'll be fun," his voice showed a slight laugh.

"Tidus…" she begged.

"You know Selphie, surprises galore!"

"Oh geez…what kind of surprise?"

"A good one. Just meet me outside your house at 6:30."

"Are they awake now?"

"I don't know," he smirked.

"Tidus, tell me!" The redhead pouted.

"You're worst than a little kid a week before Christmas."

She giggled and nodded, "Alright, you win." The terrible promise taste turned up in her mouth again. Kairi noticed her disgust in her face from the reflection in the window.

"Alright, 6:30. I'll see you then. Love you," He said sweetly.

"Love you too, bye."

"Bye." The line clicked off and she snapped her phone shut.

Kairi jogged into her bathroom and rinsed her mouth out of the horrible taste. The taste only turned up stronger and made her gag. She groaned and shuffled herself over her toilet, ready to get whatever invisible material out of her mouth.

"C'mon," she mumbled in pain. She was crying now, it felt like someone was squeezing her stomach again and again with the goal of having no more air come out of her. Then pressure came to her chest, restricting the beating of her heart and then her throat. Her body fell backwards, onto the cold tiled floor and blackness took her away.

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Thanks for reading! Review? ;D


	31. Chapter 31 Strong Link

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**Sleepless **Chapter 31

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Ripping…Tearing…Taking…Breaking…

Everything.

It was so dark with her eyelids squeezed shut. She kept her eyes closed purposely because she wasn't ready to know what was hurting her. It was tearing at her everywhere, she couldn't pinpoint where their target was because pain screamed in her head, chest, arms, legs…everywhere. She felt the wetness from her eyes when a tear streamed down to above her ear. She figured she was lying on her back as the torture continued. Kairi couldn't take too much of it anymore, she had to stop this pain. Her eyes shot open and gazed at her body, no one was there to rip her apart. But the pain continued. She looked about her surroundings desperately, trying to grasp any familiarity but there was none. Her focus was weakened by the growing pain that started to become unbearable.

_This type of pain just can't and shouldn't exist!_ After her thought was spoken, the pain instantly stopped and relief swept over her until a numbing feeling begun taking its shot at her. It was so quiet that she could hear only herself; her shaky breathing, the light movement of her clothes and the loudest, her dying heart. The realization came to her. She could be dead or in the process of. Her heartbeat was growing softer as her eyelids started to fall. Just as she closed her eyes, she saw her pure heart float out from her chest.

_It's done. _The gentle voice seemed far off and talking to someone else. The message didn't seem directed to her.

_Patience, Kairi,_ the voice for a lullaby cooed.

This feeling of forever floating and blankness felt oddly familiar to her. Her thoughts were gone and she was laid on the table like the lifeless puppet she was before. She was completely unaware of the blonde girl standing over her body.

The innocent blue eyes looked sadly at the girl before her. "This has turned into such a mess," she whispered gently. Her face lit up as she smiled, this would be another part of her repayment.

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Sorry this chapter is so short! But guess what? I'm posting another chapter very shortly, so don't worry! You see, I'm pretty smart when it comes around to thinking about the readers. :D


	32. Chap 32 Two Steps Back and One Forward

The next chapters will be told in first-person point of view. And the first-person is, you guessed it, Kairi! I hope you enjoy!

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**Sleepless** Chapter 32

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The sunset was especially beautiful today in an unreal glow. It shined on my skin and the docks I sat on. We were on the island, where we used to play. I turned to him and smiled, the suns rays where blocking my view of him, but I knew he was there. He held my hand gently and I heard his boyish laugh I missed. _Missed?_ I pondered on that word for a moment but threw it away as quickly as the word would be pronounced.

"Say, Kairi…how long has it been?" He asked.

I turned away from the sun and looked down at the water, it was less blinding this way but my eyes longed to see him, whoever he was. "How long has what been?" I questioned, turning back to him only to turn to the water again. _Why must the sun be ruining this moment?_

"Don't tell me you forgot!" He sounded hurt since I didn't remember.

I grew embarrassed and tugged a strand of loose hair behind my ear. "What has been-", he stopped me before I choked out my question.

"I'll give you a hint. It was something…something important." I felt his eyes on me, watching what he could of my reaction.

I was hoping for this sudden spark of understanding but as I waited for it, I figured it wasn't going to come. I gripped the dock's edge and stared at my reflection and then to the boy's beside me. I heard myself gasp at the blurred image of the boy near me. I stared at his hand that held mine and found it also distorted. Had it been that way all along? "What's going on?" I shouted and stood up quickly, staring at the blurred figure.

The peaceful feeling was now gone and I started to grow scared. Fear gripped me as I turned and ran down the docks, across the sand and into the Secret Place. As soon as I entered the cave I tripped on one of the roots and fell on my hands, but I didn't want to stop. I had to keep running. This driving force screamed at me to keep running, so I did. I got up and ran between the curved walls, stumbling into it a few times, and stopped at the circular opening. The drawings from years past stared back at me, content with my arrival. From behind, I heard no noise of chasing or entry, but I had to look, just to make sure. My eyes gazed into the dark tunnel and found no one, so I quickly turned away, hoping I wouldn't find what I was fearing of.

I took short strides to the out of place door that was there and grazed my hand on the old wood's surface. The touch brought stings to fingers and I brought my hand away like I had been burned. It was strange, not just the feeling from the door, but from the feeling of this place. I wanted to smile as well as cry and run out as much as I wanted to stay.

I took some steps back and found my way to the direct center of the circular area. The scribbles on the rocks caught my attention and I smiled at the children created artwork. I missed those days… When I was oblivious to all the worries that are surrounding me now. I shook my head gently and closed my eyes. No, it was fun while it lasted.

I could hear the water carry its beautiful noise into this cave and also of the sudden scraping of rocks on one another. I opened my eyes carefully and saw that the artwork was fading before my eyes. It shocked and hurt me all at the same time. These were memories…**My** memories. The smiles, the laughter, and the happiness within me were starting to grow into confusion as the markings on the wall were close to being cleaned away. Blurs of me, Riku and the boy were running about the place, scribbling on the walls. And as I watched, we started to get younger and younger until we were no longer there. The cave was emptied out and untouched, like no one has ever been here.

I heard movement, like footsteps, behind me and turned quickly to see who was there. His blue eyes stared at me anxiously.

_What was I supposed to do now?_ Not like I could do anything, my feet were glued to the floor.

His blurred figure started to walk towards me, with each step the blurriness decreased. And with each second I saw his white smile the more nothing else mattered. I couldn't help myself from smiling, especially when he held my hands politely and I was finally able to see every sharp detail of him. His spiked brown hair shifted with the light breeze and his sky blue eyes gazed into mine, questioningly. I wrapped my arms around him gently and shook my head, this felt wrong. I couldn't remember his name, one of the people I really care for. I forced my eyes closed and tried my best to think. He moved his lips to my ear and I felt his mouth open.

"I promised…didn't I?"

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Reviewwww? Thank youuuuuu. :D

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	33. Chapter 33 Lose Yourself

I'm really, really sorry I haven't uploaded any sort of writing lately. I feel really bad having you readers wait for so long, especially with my other fanfic. But I'm hoping to be able to write more, even with my school about to start up again. Anyways, I hope you enjoy! Thanks!

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**Sleepless **Chapter 33

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It felt like someone poured ice cold water abruptly onto me. I stiffened and shook with his gentle words floating around me. His words were something I wanted to hear and, in effect, there was something I wanted, or more like agonizingly needed, to say. But my mouth wouldn't open; they were sealed tight into a straight line with my teeth locking them in place. And then my chance vanished into the thin, almost nonexistent, air that tore me away from him.

The ground shifted beneath my feet and the boy that I longed to speak to and missed was no longer there. I was now in an empty, dark void with only myself as company. It didn't bother me, not including the anger that pulsed through me for having my reunion cut short, I was used to this. I couldn't recall how, but I knew that I was. I slumped down into a ball and wrapped my arms around my knees. I gazed blankly into the dark, slowly becoming fearful of this place.

_Why am I so alone?_

I dug my face into my arms to hide my view of my surroundings; _there wasn't anything to see anyways._ It was silent as I stayed in my silly attempt at protection, trying my best to etch ever detail of the boy into my mind so I wouldn't forget him.

I heard laughter ahead of me, finally breaking the eerie silence. His blue eyes looked at me, his face only inches apart from mine. He laughed again. "It's good to see you up," he straightened up and turned around, putting both hands behind his head.

I noticed then that the black space was replaced with an island. I furrowed my eyebrows but then ran after the spiky brunette.

"How long was I out?" I chuckled. The light atmosphere instantly calmed me and made me feel like this was home. _Home. Where was home?_ I looked around this lone island and found nothing I remembered, besides him. Even if I couldn't remember him entirely, he was the only person I knew. It was scary, but at the same time I figured I didn't mind.

He smiled at the sun and turned to me, "Long enough to start snoring." His smile turned teasing as I gasped in embarrassment. He threw his head in the direction of a very close, small island connected by a bridge and grabbed my hand before I could say otherwise. He ran with me into the wooden shack that brought us up to the bridge, stopping before it.

"You okay?" I questioned, tilting my head to look at him from his right side. His gaze only stared at the sky ahead of us.

It looked like he was in a deep thought and didn't hear me, so I squeezed his hand. "Yeah, of course," he nodded softly. "But, are you, Kairi?" His blue eyes finally looked at me seriously.

The question sounded like it meant something else, leaving myself to go into a deep thought. _Am I? Am I alright?_ I felt something, like a dying spark of understanding. I looked at him and saw someone else, but I wasn't scared. Because the boy that was now before me gave me one of his sunny smiles and I felt comfort. Like everything in the world was going to be alright in time. In time, were the key words. I looked at him, his blonde hair glowed in the light and I saw the creases in his tan skin from his smile that was slowly fading. I smiled too and suddenly felt a tear run down my cheek. I realized then that I couldn't remember him either. I looked away and wiped the lone tear away before I looked up again. But the blonde was gone and the brunette looked at me with a slight pout. But he smiled and took my hand again, leading me across the bridge. "I'll…be alright, in time." I whispered, knowing somehow that the boy heard me even when he didn't reply.

He brought me to a peculiar tree that bent strangely, making it the almost perfect natural couch. I caught sight of star-shaped fruits that hung below its green leaves. I only looked at it for a moment before he helped me sit down. I looked at the setting sun and saw all the warm colors that I loved to see. The yellow was the center of attention but my eyes looked away from it to see the oranges and reds. The shades of orange wrapped its arms around the dying reds. It was beautiful. I wish that I could sit here like this more often. I was starting to forget how long it's been since I've done this. _No, I have forgotten. Was it that long ago?_ I stopped my thoughts once I saw this blank.

"Kairi," the boy muttered. I turned to face him, wanting so badly to say his name as well. "Does it hurt?" The question was random and odd. I noticed his demeanor changed as well, his hands were folded in his lap and his head was looking down upon them. His eyes cautiously looked up to the sky and finally to me.

I waited for a further explanation, but the blank look on his face seemed like there was nothing to explain, causing me to feel like an idiot again today. "I'm trying to deal with it."

"By yourself?" His voice rose in pitch, I figured he was surprised.

"I'm kind of getting use to it. I've been taking care of a lot of things by myself since…" I trailed off and found everything start to get blurry, not just my surroundings but also my thoughts. I blinked harshly and saw someone's hand on top of mine. The blur slightly decreased and I saw that in the brunette's place was a girl with blonde hair. Strange, I finally realized maybe I was dreaming. So I let myself dream.

Her sad, blue eyes looked at me as if she were pleading. "You won't need to be alone anymore. Because soon, everything will go back to the way they were. I promise. It'll take some time, but…" watching her talk was difficult. I could see that she was breaking. I didn't know what she was going on about but I understood that she felt guilty for something she did and she wanted to make things right.

I smiled gently at her and she stopped talking. "You're just like me," I laughed. At this, her eyes widened but I went on. "I can't put my finger on it exactly, but you remind me a lot of myself. I'm guessing it has something to do with taking care of things. Because you're doing a lot by yourself as well, aren't you?" I took her half-hearted smile as a yes. I held her hand and looked into her eyes. I felt like I was looking into a mirror. Sure, she had blonde hair, but her eyes and expression seemed like my own. "It'll be alright."

She smiled warmly and nodded. "You're right. And Kairi, I hope to see you again." In a few seconds she was standing and walking off.

"Where are you going?" I questioned while I jumped off from the seat. I was both surprised and confused at this sudden change. The sky turned white and so did everything else. The girl stopped walking and turned around to face me.

"To check his progress, seeing that you're recovering well after you bumped your head," She chuckled and continued walking.

Her words confused me as soon as they were spoken. I didn't understand what she meant. "Wait! Who is this guy? What bump?" I started chasing after her but she was soon out of my sight.

It was that moment when I realized I lost myself again.

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Review if you have time? Thank you so much. :D I really do appreciate it.

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